§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he plans to undertake research into bird deaths caused by the use of monofilament gill nets.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 11 February 1988]: My Department has no plans at present to undertake specific investigations of the effects of monofilament nets on sea bird populations, but we are keeping the situation under review.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the recent effects on auk species, including razorbills, of fishermen fishing inshore due to bad weather, using monofilament gill nets off St. Just, Cornwall.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 11 February 1988]: I have received a number of reports about unusually high mortalities of auks associated with the use of gill nets in St. Ives bay, but not off St. Just. This appears to have resulted from a combination of factors, including the adverse weather.
§ Mr. MorleyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will introduce further limits, or codes of practice, on the use of monofilament gill nets so as to limit bird deaths in areas of seabird concentrations.
§ Mr. Gummer[holding answer 11 February 1988]: I have no such plans at present. The use of monofilament gill nets is regulated in a number of ways, including local sea fisheries committee byelaws. Where such nets are used as fixed engines they will be subject to new byelaws being prepared to regulate use of fixed engines in all local sea fisheries districts. In appropriate instances these byelaws will specify the minimum depth below the surface at which fixed gill nets may be set.