§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how close the west coast cod quota is to exhaustion; and what compensation he will offer to those fish producers organisations whose quota is incomplete if catching is prematurely stopped.
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§ Mr. GummerThe latest data available on catches to 4 July suggests that approximately 85 per cent. of the United Kingdom quota for west of Scotland cod had been taken by that date. If the previous unusually high rate of catching continued thereafter we estimate that the annual quota would be exhausted by about the end of July. However, we expect the rate of catching to have been reduced as a result of the quota management restrictions introduced for the non-sectoral fishery on 7 July and the action taken, with effect from 18 July, to suspend licences for the non-sectoral fishery and for those sectoral groups whose allocation was exhausted, which jointly account for the major part of this fishery.
In view of the seasonal pattern of fishing and the action already taken, I cannot at this stage predict when, if at all, closure action will be necessary. Fisheries Departments will be monitoring the situation as closely as possible.
In the event that the fishery is closed prematurely the agreed arrangements for compensation, to which I referred in my reply of 17 July to theap j 13–5 hon. Member for Kingston-upon-Hull, West (Mr. Randall), will apply. We are exploring the possibility of obtaining additional opportunities for cod by means of a quota exchange from another member state but I can hold out no firm hope of this at this stage.