§ Mr. Wallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to enforce minimum mesh regulation within the British fisheries regime; and if he will prohibit vessels carrying more than one net mesh size.
§ Mr. BishopThe size and type of fishing net which may be used in prescribed areas within British fishery limits are laid down in the Fishing Nets (North East Atlantic) Order 1977. A programme of examination of fishing gear in both British vessels and foreign vessels within 817W British fishery limits is carried out continuously by British sea fishery officers. Discussions on the carrying on vessels of nets of more than one mesh size will continue at the Council of Fisheries Ministers meeting on 16th/17th January.
§ Mr. Wallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will now take steps further to limit industrial fishing and beam trawling.
§ Mr. BishopDiscussions on conservation measures, including measures on industrial fishing and beam trawling, have been taking place as part of the consideration by the Council of Ministers of the future common fisheries policy. These discussions will be continued on 16th January.
§ Mr. Wallasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he recognises that a quota system of weight of catch is ineffective and unacceptable and that the effort quota system is the only effective system for control of fishing effort; and if he will adopt this policy in his negotiations with the EEC.
§ Mr. BishopIn the reappraisal of the common fisheries policy, the division of the available fish between EEC member States and any allocations to third countries seem bound to take the form of national catch quotas related to assessments of the total allowable catches from the stocks concerned. The United Kingdom has made clear that the effective enforcement of such quotas depends on satisfactory arrangements for monitoring landings and that, where necessary, catch quotas will have to be supplemented with controls on fishing effort.