§ Mr. Wolrige-Gordonasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many boats in England now have licences to catch salmon by drift net; and how this number compares with the total in each of the last five years.
§ Mr. Anthony StodartLicences, which are issued by river authorities, are for nets, not boats. I am afraid that it is not possible, in those areas where different kinds of net are equally permissible, to say how many licensees actually used drift nets in any year. The total number of licences issued, in England and Wales, in areas where drift nets, or nets of a similar type, are allowed were:
Season Number 1965 213 1966 213 1967 218 1968 231 1969 245 1970 332