§ Mr. Wolrige-Gordonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the explanation for the rich sprat harvest that is now being caught off the north-east coast of Aberdeenshire; and whether this can be expected to recur each year.
§ Mr. NobleThese relatively large catches of sprats can be attributed partly 97W to the effect of a good year class on the stocks and partly to the fact that changes in environmental conditions have caused unusually heavy shoaling in inshore waters. I cannot say whether these phenomena will recur in future years.