§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is his estimate of the number of harbour porpoises which died as a consequence of the use of monofilament nets in British waters in the last three years; and what international agreements the United Kingdom has agreed to, to ensure the protection of this and other smaller cetacean species. [2340]
§ Mr. BaldryNo reliable estimate for harbour porpoise deaths in British waters caused by monofilament nets is available. To help address this question, the Ministry is sponsoring the sea mammals research unit to develop a robust cetacean by-catch reporting scheme. SMRU is also a leading partner in an EC-funded project which will document levels of cetacean by-catch in the North sea and evaluate the likely effectiveness of a number of different management approaches aimed at reducing these by-catches.
The UK is party to or subject to several international instruments which include measures to protect small cetaceans. They include the EC habitats directive, Council directive 92/43/EEC; the agreement on the conservation of small cetaceans of the Baltic and North seas, ASCOBANS; the convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats, the Bern convention; the convention on the conservation of migratory species of wild animals, the Bonn convention; and the convention on international trade in endangered species, CITES.