§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the Anglo-Norwegian talks with the Danes, on the refusal of Denmark to cease fishing for Atlantic salmon off the Norwegian coast, in spite of an international ban on salmon fishing areas of the North-East Atlantic.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartAt its meeting in May, the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission considered proposals which included a complete ban on salmon fishing in the convention area outside national28W fishing limits, as from 1st January, 1976. This is the date on which, in accordance with an agreement reached this month at the meeting of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries, salmon fishing by Danish, including Faroese, and Norwegian fishermen off West Greenland will cease, after progressive reductions in their catches in the intervening years.
The North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission decided to postpone until next year consideration of the ban from 1st January, 1976, but to continue in force in the meantime the existing measures for 29W the regulation of the fishery by a system of closed areas, closed seasons and gear restrictions, supplemented by the addition of a new closed area round Iceland.