§ SIR CAMERON GULL (Devonshire, Barnstaple)I beg to ask the President of the Board of Trade whether his attention has been called to the alleged action of the hopper barges belonging to the Portsmouth Dockyard which tip their spoil near the Warner Lightship in the Solent and on the lobster grounds near the Isle of Wight, thereby destroying the breeding ground of fishes and the fishing grounds of the men engaged in taking them; and whether, having regard to the anxiety of the Government to protect the fisheries of the United Kingdom, he will communicate with the Board of Admiralty with a view of preventing such destruction and damage, and will, if necessary, insert a clause in the Sea Fisheries Bill enabling the Board of Admiralty or any other public body, as well as fishermen, to be fined for the useless destruction and damage of fish.
§ THE PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE (Mr. RITCHIE,) CroydonMy attention has not been drawn to the deposits of spoil complained of by the hon. Member. I am advised, however, that the sites of these deposits are a long way from the lobster grounds near the Isle of Wight, and that the deposits are made in places where the fishing industry is not affected.