Seine fishing on the Dutch and German parts of the Dogger Bank, 2013-2019 : Overview of the economic importance and the ecologic impact of the Belgian, British,Danish, Dutch, French, German and Swedish fleets

The effort, value and landings by the Dutch, UK, Danish, German, Belgian, Swedish and French fishing seine fleets on the Dutch and German part of the Dogger Bank show low and irregular activity over the 2013-2019 period, driven mainly by fishing opportunities for plaice. The ban of pulse fishing is unlikely to lead to an increase of flyshoot vessels in the Dutch fleet given the financial, technical, regulatory and knowledge barriers to transition. Ecological impact of seines alone is complex to assess and while uncertain, the impact on relative benthic biomass is considered low at the past and current level of fishing.