§ Mr. Gordon Campbellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland to what extent the scarcity of salmon in Scottish rivers is related to the new fishery off Greenland; and if he will make a statement on this matter.
§ Mr. RossSalmon catches are affected by a number of factors and are liable to considerable fluctuations from year to year, but the effects of these factors cannot be isolated or measured. Although scientific investigations have shown that some salmon caught at Greenland would otherwise return to Scotland, the effect of the Greenland fisheries cannot yet be quantified since we do not know what proportion of the salmon feeding off Greenland originate from Scotland or what proportion of those that do so would normally succeed in returning. Research into these problems is continuing.
Though salmon have generally been scarce this year, it is too early in the season to say whether this will continue. For some years—well before the development of the Greenland fisheries—there has been a gradual decline in the numbers of spring fish returning to Scottish rivers but, despite this, the total catches in recent years, with the exception of 1968, have been relatively high.