§ Mr. Hicksasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will close the South-West Mackerel fishery immediately; and if he will make a statement about the current situation.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithUnited Kingdom catches of mackerel off the South-West are running at a lower level than at a similar time in previous years. The proportion of240W undersized mackerel in the catch has nevertheless caused concern, but the problem does not at this stage seem to require any further tightening of the restrictions already being imposed through the mackerel licensing scheme. We are, however, keeping the situation under very close review.