§ Mr. Pollockasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress he has made with designation of Scottish waters under the European Economic Community directive on the quality of fresh waters needing protection or improvement in order to support fish life.
§ Mr. YoungerA list of the Scottish waters which I have decided to designate together with those for other parts of the United Kingdom has now been sent to the Commission.
Over 33,000 kilometres have been designated in Scotland. This is some 70 per cent. of the total length of all Scottish rivers. The high percentage reflects the general cleanliness and high environmental standards of Scottish waters. The rivers have all been designated as salmonid. In addition, the few canal lengths which are also included are designated as cyprinid. Those support course fish, and so do not require quite such a high water quality.