§ 57. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on his study of the spawning, breeding and migratory habits of the tuna and the bonito indicating the extent of their increase in recent years and the effect of that increase on the fish with which the British fishing industry deals and to which the British public is accustomed.
Mr. VaneNo Government Research has so far been done on the tuna and the bonito, since there is at present no great consumer demand in this country for such fish and in consequence the British fishing industry does not catch them. Nevertheless, we are now making plans to survey the available resources of both species in waters which may be of interest to us. I am not aware of any evidence that the stocks of either species have recently increased, but there has been increased fishing by other nations.