§ 59. Sir W. SUGDENasked the Minister of Agriculture if he will call a conference of those concerned in the fishing industry on the north-east coast to regulate the movements of trawler fleets to prevent famine and glut of supplies which sometimes now obtain?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Edward Wood)Fluctuations in the supply of fish are almost entirely caused by the combined weather conditions on the various trawling grounds extending from the Murman Coast of Russia and Iceland in the north to the Coast of Morocco in the south, and do not depend upon the number of trawlers at sea at a given time—which, in fact, varies very little. In the circumstances, I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by the conference proposed.
§ Sir W. SUGDENBut is it not the fact that the question of loading is a very important one in respect of this class of fishing, equally as important as the one of incoming trawlers?
§ Mr. WOODI can assure my hon. Friend that I am entirely alive to the question, but I am in doubt whether a solution could be furthered by a conference.