§ Mr. McNamaraasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the estimates he has made of third party countries' fishing yields within the British 200-mile limits since the beginning of the year and the progress he has made to ensure that in those circumstances where he estimates that there has been overfishing by third countries or by Community countries further overfishing does not take place.
§ Dr. OwenLast December the EEC Foreign Ministers agreed to limit fishing by certain third countries by allocating to each autonomous quotas for the first three months of this year. Surveillance of fishing within our extended fishing limits suggests that vessels of the Soviet Union have fished out their quotas for sprats.
Having regard to the failure of Eastern European countries so far to enter into negotiations with the EEC, the Community has now notified the USSR, Poland and the German Democratic Republic that fishing by their vessels within the fishing limits of member States is to be subject to licensing. The number of licences to be issued will be that which the Community considers necessary for these three countries to catch the residue of their quotas.
Her Majesty's Government, as Presidency, have received from the Soviet and Polish Government proposals to enter into negotiation, which are now under consideration with our EEC partners. From neither of these two Governments nor from the Government of the German Democratic Republic have we yet received the lists of vessels requested.