HC Deb 16 March 1978 vol 946 cc286-7W
50. Mr. Penhaligon

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how long his Department believes the mackerel stocks off the Cornish coast can sustain the present level of fishing.

Mr. Bishop

The mackerel shoals currently being fished off the Cornish coast are part of the western mackerel stock which overwinters in the Bay of Biscay and in the seas to the south-west of the British Isles. The fishery off the Cornish coast is seasonal and the level of fishing there can be expected to decline within the next month or so. In the circumstances, a worthwhile estimate of the sort requested is not possible. The state of the western mackerel stock is currently being reassessed by ICES.