§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made on the establishment of a programme for the retrieval of carcases of stranded small cetaceans in Scotland to conduct post-mortems on these animals and to analyse tissue samples for contaminants.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 16 December 1991]: A contract, funded by the Department of the Environment, has been offered to the veterinary investigation service of the Scottish Agricultural College. The co-ordinator for the programme of retrieval of carcases and research on stranded small cetaceans in Scotland is expected to take up post early in the new year.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what work is being carried out by his Department to investigate the status of small cetaceans and the threats facing them; and how much money has been allocated to this work each year.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 16 December 1991]: The Department's scientists work closely with other researchers in the United Kingdom and take part in international groups such as the ICES study group on seals and small cetaceans. A number of groups are funding research into the status of the bottle-nosed dolphin colony in the Moray firth. The Government's own effort will he increased in 1992 with the appointment of a co-ordinator on strandings of cetaceans in Scotland and introduction of new arrangements for voluntary reporting of accidental capture of cetaceans by fishermen. Much of the Department's work is ad hoc, when strandings or accidental captures occur, and detailed costings of this effort are not available.
§ Dr. David ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what budget has been allocated to the analysis of contaminant levels in stranded small cetaceans; and which body or institution will be conducting this work.
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§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 16 December 1991]: Research on levels and significance of contaminants in small cetaceans is undertaken by Scottish Office scientists as part of a wider programme of studies on contaminants in the aquatic environment. Additional work on stranded or accidentally captured cetaceans will be undertaken next year and reports and analyses of strandings in Scotland will be co-ordinated through funds provided by DOE. A new system for fishermen to report, voluntarily, accidental capture of cetaceans is also being introduced. The full costs of this work will depend on the number of carcases reported and retrieved for analysis.