§ 48. Mr. Hoyasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the concern felt by the British fishing industry at the large increase of fish being caught for industrial purposes by Scandinavian countries to the detriment of future stocks; and what steps he intends taking to deal with this problem.
§ Mr. John HareA recent assessment of the effect of industrial fishing on fish stocks was made by the Permanent Commission of the International Fisheries Convention. It concluded that, although there was a reduction in the stocks of whiting and haddock, this was not so substantial as seriously to reduce the yield from these fisheries. A similar conclusion resulted from an experiment in the industrial fishery grounds for young herring in the North Sea.
I fully share the concern felt in this country on the general question of conservation, and my Department will shortly be having discussions on the whole question of industrial fishing with representatives of the industry.