§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what advice he has received from his officials about the fishing industry at Lowestoft about how long the 1996 plaice quota will last; and what steps he is taking to swap quotas elsewhere for plaice quota for Lowestoft until the end of 1996. [178]
§ Mr. BaldryQuota allocations for North sea plaice and other stocks are issued annually to individual groups within the fleet, including fish producers' organisations, which are responsible for managing these allocations on behalf of their members. The rate of quota uptake will vary between different groups,92W reflecting factors such as the availability of fish and commercial decisions by the groups and their members. As at 24 October 1996, the Lowestoft Fish Producers' Organisation had taken 87.5 per cent. of its North sea plaice allocation for 1996, compared with 80.1 per cent. for the UK as a whole. It is open to the Lowestoft PO to seek to swap quota with other groups in order to obtain additional plaice, should the PO judge this to be necessary.
§ Mr. PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on why 360 tonnes of North sea plaice received from Norway in September were swapped with the Netherlands for other species; what consultations were undertaken with the fishing industry; and how the swap was administered under the 1996 quota management rules. [179]
§ Mr. BaldryEarlier this year, the Commission secured an extra 1,250 tonnes of North sea plaice from Norway in exchange for 10,000 tonnes of EU blue whiting from areas Vb, VI and VII. The UK share of the extra plaice was some 360 tonnes. After careful consideration, and having regard to the 1996 quota management rules, it was decided to use the additional plaice to acquire a range of other stocks from the Netherlands. Specific consultation with the fishing industry was not necessary. The stocks obtained have been distributed proportionately to industry except for North area sole which is being allocated to the under-10m fleet in order to ensure that the fishery remains open into the autumn, having been closed for the first three months of 1996.