§ Mr. Lewisasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what action he has taken to reach an effective international agreement for the control of over-fishing in the North Sea and other areas.
§ Mr. NuttingThe problem of over-fishing in the North Sea and other areas adjacent to the British Isles was studied by a conference held in London in 1946. The Convention, which was published in 1946 as Cmd. 6791, drawn up at this Conference, has been ratified by Her Majesty's Government and is expected to come into force early next year. The United Kingdom is already a member of the North West Atlantic Fisheries Convention which regulates fishing in that area. This Convention was ratified by Her Majesty's Government in 1949 and came into force in 1950.