§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will extend the prohibition on the use of monofilament nets by fishing fleets in inshore Scottish waters to cover the whole of Great Britain and offshore waters; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. CurryWe have no plans to extend the prohibition on the use of nylon monofilament gill nets although we maintain close monitoring of the fishery. However, there are national mesh size restrictions pursuant to the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act 1975; the use of such nets is variously controlled in some inshore waters under byelaws made by National Rivers Authority regions or sea fisheries committee; and we announced on 27 July 1988 our intention to introduce certain national restrictions on the use of gill and other nets whose mesh sizes fall between 65mm and 89mm.