§ Mr. Wattasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which countries in membership of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Conference have exceeded their quota of fish in any species for which quotas were agreed for 1976.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have been asked to reply.
According to the latest information circulated by the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission the following countries have exceeded the 1976 quotas, to which they agreed, for the stock specified:
Country and Stock
- Belgium, English Channel sole.
- Netherlands, Bristol Channel sole, Irish Sea plaice and sole.
- Spain, North East Arctic cod.
- Sweden, West of Scotland herring.
- United Kingdom, English Channel sole.
§ Mr. Wattasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the 1977 quota for haddock for the whole of the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have been asked to reply.
The amount of any United Kingdom haddock quota for 1977 is dependent upon negotiations within the EEC as to its internal regime in 1977 and the interrelated negotiations between EEC and third countries as regards both Community fishing in their waters and their fishing in EEC waters.
§ Mr. Wattasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the cause of the delay in informing the 280W fishing industry of the increase of 10 per cent. in the haddock quota, borrowed from the 1977 quota.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have been asked to reply.
There was no delay. This provision for borrowing was agreed at the April session of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission which was attended by representatives of the industry, and the provision was covered in the Commission's Press notice of 26th April.
§ Mr. Wattasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many North-East Atlantic Fisheries Conference countries have agreed haddock quotas for 1977.
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have been asked to reply.
At the meeting of the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission last week the question of quotas for 1977 was not discussed. With the expected extension by many countries of their fishery limits to 200 miles in 1977 the allocation of haddock and other quotas in the areas with which the Commission has been concerned will fall to be settled by the coastal States involved.