§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect of the extension piece on a demersal trawl on the selectivity of the cod end. [150920]
§ Mr. BradshawUnder the 2001 Fishing Industry/Science partnership funded by SEERAD, trials were carried out with a pair seine team to assess the effect of very long extensions on catch composition. Two cases were investigated using the alternate haul method; one with an extension of 200 meshes, the other of 500 meshes long. No significant differences were found in the catches or discards for haddock or whiting. No significant amounts of juvenile cod were retained.