§ 3. Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he is aware of the irregular character of fish visitations to Smith's Knoll and other fishing grounds adjacent to Great Britain, and that these irregularities cause loss to the British fishing industry; what scientific inquiries into these irregularities are being made under Government auspices; and with what results.
§ Mr. GodberChanges in the movements and abundance of herring off East Anglia and elsewhere in the North Sea2W are under close study by scientists in my Department and the Scottish Home Department. Our scientists have also taken a leading part in the programme of international research on herring in the North Sea organised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. They have found that the decline in the East Anglian herring fishery since 1950 is the result of a progressive decrease in the number of older fish, which may well be due in part to the increased intensity of foreign fishing and in part to long-term changes in the environment.