§ 58. Sir COOPER RAWSONasked the Minister of Agriculture whether his attention has been called to the state of the fishing industry all along the south coast and the destruction of spawn and immature fish attributable to the unrestricted trawling of inshore waters; and whether he will cause inquiries to be made for the purpose of providing a sanctuary for fish in shallow waters?
§ The MINISTER of AGRICULTURE (Mr. Guinness)The state of the fishing industry on that part of the coast in which I think my hon. Friend is particularly interested is being discussed with a deputation in the Fisheries Department this afternoon. In the light of that discussion I shall no doubt be able to form an opinion as to what further inquiry may be desirable.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENIs the right hon. gentleman not aware that all the inshore fishers, especially round Scotland, have been ruined in past years by trawling, and will he not see that the penalties for those who are breaking the inshore laws will be such that they will not repeat the offence, as the present maximum penalty of £100 is no use whatever?
§ Mr. GUINNESSI think my hon. Friend has not perhaps appreciated that this question is concerned with trawling in inshore waters, and, I take it, by inshore fishermen. All trawling, wherever it is done, destroys a certain amount of immature fish, but it does not destroy spawn, at any rate, in these areas, because the only spawn in the bottom is herring spawn, and there is none in the southern waters.
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs the right hon. Gentleman not aware that trawling, by destroying immature fish, improves fishing in the long run, and that the real trouble is due to the use of oil fuel which kills the fish?
§ Mr. GUINNESSWe are making inquiries and tests as to the effect on these immature fish in Poole Harbour and certain other western bays, and we hope to get some further information.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENIs it not a fact that most of the real wrongdoers come from the constituency of the hon. and gallant Gentleman who has just spoken?
§ Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYIs it not a fact that the country would have been ruined during the War but for those same trawlers being used for war purposes?
§ Sir C. RAWSONWill the right hon. Gentleman be able to make a statement shortly as the result of our conversation this afternoon?
§ Mr. GUINNESSI do not know if it will be the result of our conversation this afternoon, but I should be glad to lay before the House the result of our inquiries and experiments when we receive them.