§ Sir H. NIELDasked the President of the Board of Agriculture whether he is aware that there is an unusual scarcity of eels this year in many rivers and streams throughout the country where usually considerable quantities have existed; whether this scarcity can be accounted for, and, if so, what is the reason; whether the Board has had occasion to issue circulars to owners of fisheries or those in control of rivers and streams suggesting the urgent need for restocking these waters with eels; and, if so, why has the Freshwater Fish Committee, appointed by the Board, issued Fisheries Notice No. 9," How to Catch Eels," and invited the public to further deplete the supply?
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§ Sir R. WINFREYThe answer to the first part of the question is in the negative, and the second, therefore, does not arise. The Freshwater Fish Committee are endeavouring by various means to develop the stock of eels in home waters, with a view to the increase of available supplies. In particular, they have distributed elvers for liberation in suitable waters which it appeared likely could carry a heavier stock with advantage, and in some cases seek to establish new fisheries in suitable waters. These operations of the Freshwater Fish Committee were undertaken in view of the general shortage of food supplies and the desirability of increasing supplies of home-produced food, and not in relation to any known falling off in the stock of eels. On the contrary, it is believed that existing stocks are not exploited to anything like their full capacity. The normal consumption of eels in this country before the War was approximately 7,000 tons a year, of which approximately 6,000 tons were imported. The aim of the Freshwater Fish Committee and of the Board is that this quantity, and, if possible, greater quantities, should be produced at home. The common eel of Western Europe and of Western North America is bred in the deep waters of the Atlantic, from which; source the stock is annually replenished. It is not to be anticipated, therefore, that the capture of larger supplies in British waters can appreciably affect the stock available for capture in those waters. It may interest the hon. Member, if he is. unaware of the fact, to learn that before the War some 3,000,000 elvers annually were exported from this country to Germany for distribution in German waters-The Freshwater Fish Committee have this year distributed in suitable waters some 1,200,000 elvers, and hope to make a larger distribution next season.