HC Deb 24 February 1970 vol 796 cc305-6W
Mr. Buchanan-Smith

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from information available to him from international sources, what was the size of the salmon catch, by number and by weight, taken in 1969 in coastal fisheries

United Kingdom Canada Ireland U.S.A. Norway Sweden Iceland Denmark
38 180 0 2 2 1 0 1

These figures are provisional.

Numbers and nationalities of boats operating off Greenland for the purpose of salmon fishing:

Denmark Faroes Norway Sweden
18 6 11 2

These figures are provisional, and it is not know how many Greenland boats took part in the fishery.

and in international waters, respectively, off Greenland; how this compares with catches in recent years; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hoy

The total catch for 1969 is estimated at 2,200 metric tons, of which about 900 tons were caught by set gill nets and about 1,300 tons by drift nets. Catches taken by the two methods no longer correspond with catches taken in the coastal fishery and in international waters respectively, as they did in the years prior to 1969, for which figures are shown in the following table:

Coastal Fishery International Waters
Metric tons Number (estimated) Metric tons Number (estimated)
1964 … 1,539 485,000 0 0
1965 … 825 260,000 36 11,000
1966 … 1,251 394,000 119 37,000
1967 … 1,283 406,000 318 100,000
1968 … 579 182,000 548 172,000
1969 … 2,200 Total Weigh
667,000 Total Number (estimated)

53. Sir H. Lucas-Tooth

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will give the 1969 figures for each of the three tables published on 26th January, 1970, relating to salmon fishing off the Greenland coast and in international waters off Greenland.

Mr. Hoy

The figures are:

Numbers and total weight of salmon taken:

Numbers (estimated) Weight (metric tons)
667,000 2,200

It is estimated that about 900 metric tons were caught by set gill nets and about 1,300 metric tons by drift nets. Catches taken by these two methods no longer correspond with the catches taken in the coastal fishery and in international waters and a breakdown on this basis is no longer possible.

Numbers of tagged salmon caught off Greenland and where tagged: