§ 60. Mr. Grimondasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what further information he has on lobster stocks around Orkney and Shetland.
§ Mr. NobleMy latest information is that the measurement of samples from commercial catches shows that the mean average length of lobster landed in Orkney and Shetland during 1963 was 11.2 inches and 11.8 inches, respectively, compared with 9.8 inches for the east coast fishery. This does not suggest over-fishing and this conclusion is supported by the results of a tagging experiment carried out by scientists in Shetland during June and July, 1963, when 171 tagged lobsters were released of which only a relatively small proportion have so far been taken in commercial catches.