§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many seals have been slaughtered in United Kingdom waters in each year since 1970.
England and Wales Scotland Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) Common seal (Phoca vitulina) Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) Common seal (Phoca vitulina) 1970 … 1 0 788 0 1971 … 14 320 777 569 1972 … 1,329 392 808 386 1973 … 27 395 1,271 507 1974 … 8 1 1,916 640 1975 … 1,467 1 1,772 376 1976 … 50 0 1,672 467 1977 … 343 0 1,656 351 No licence to kill grey seals off Northern Ireland has been issued in this period.
§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimates he has of the annual consumption of fish by seals within United Kingdom waters.
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§ Mr. BishopThe following is the information requested as at 6th November 1978. The information corresponds to that given for 4th July 1978 and 3rd August 1978 in reply to similar Questions earlier this year.—[Vol. 953, c. 121–2; Vol. 955, c.633–4.]
§ Dr. SummerskillI have been asked to reply.
Figures are recorded only for grey and common seals killed during the close season under licences issued under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 or the Grey Seals Protection Act (Northern Ireland) 1933. These figures are:
§ Mr. Hugh D. BrownI have been asked to reply.
The scientific advice which I have been given by my Department is that grey seals and common seals in Scottish waters take some 195,000 tons of fish annually, of which about 130,000 tons is likely 309W to comprise commercially exploited species. The estimated loss of potential catch in about half of this amount. No similar estimate has been made for grey seals and common seals in other waters of the United Kingdom.