§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will provide figures for the number of seals killed in Russia for(a) 1992 and (b) 1993; and if they were adults or pups.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydThe Russian authorities have informed us that 18,183 harp seal pups were caught in the White sea in 1992, and 19,925 in 1993. A total of 467 harp seal pups and 500 hooded seal pups were caught in the Greenland sea in 1992 for research purposes. No hunting was conducted in the Greenland sea in 1993. We await information from the Russian authorities about the number of adult seals taken, and I will write to the hon. Member when this has been received.