§ Mrs. Winifred Ewingasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has, following the discussions at the North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission meeting in London, regarding the depletion of stocks of herring in the North Sea; what recommendations, if any, he has received from fishery scientists regarding a ban on fishing; and what controls he proposes to put on industrial fishing.
§ Mr. William RossScientific advice to the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission was that the spawning stock of North Sea herring is less than 10 per cent. of that in the period 1953 to 1960 and that to prevent a collapse of the stock there should be no directed fishery for herring in 1976 and a more rigid restriction on bycatches in the industrial fisheries. Controls were placed on the industrial catch of herring by the negotiation of limited quotas for the first six months of 1976 and the confirmation of the international ban on direct herring fishing for industrial purposes. Further protection of white fish and herring stocks from industrial fishing was secured by agreement on further minimum mesh sizes, an area closed to certain types of industrial fishery off the east coast of Scotland, and greater limitations on the 721W bycatch of edible species. Notice was, however, given by some countries of possible formal objections to the last two recommendations.