§ Sir John Rodgersasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what scientific evidence the increase in the quota for the sperm whale was justified; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BishopAt its meeting in December 1977, the International Whaling Commission agreed on an increased catch quota for 1976–77 for the North Pacific sperm whale stock on the basis of a reappraisal by the commission's scientific committee of the calculations relating to catch per unit effort. At its recent meeting in London, the commission made no recommendation regarding future quotas for this stock but agreed to discuss the matter at a special meeting later this year.