§ Mr. Sproatasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what estimate he has made of the effect on Scottish vessels of the mackerel licensing arrangements for the 1980 spring fishing; what estimate he has made of alternative opportunities for these vessels at this time; if he will give consideration to allowing each vessel to take seven times the weekly quota allocation as quickly or as slowly as that vessel wishes; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. YoungerI have been asked to reply. The changes in the mackerel licensing arrangements for the 1980 spring fishery, which include a reduction in weekly quotas and the closure of the fishery off the South-West of England for boats over 60ft by 16 February, are designed to reduce the catching effort on the fishery as compared with last year. 685W These restrictions are necessary in order to take account of the reduced total allowable catch recommended for the Western mackerel stock in 1980 and to manage the fishery so as to provide for continued fishing later in the year.
Since the total allowable catch recommended by scientists for a number of stocks of interest to our industry is generally lower this year than last year, alternative opportunities will also be more limited, although it is likely that some effort will be diverted to the sprat fishery.
The possibility of seasonal rather than weekly quotas was discussed at the meeting with the industry which preceded the Government's decisions on the arrangements for early 1980 and the majority of the industry, including the Scottish industry, made it clear that it preferred quotas to be set on a weekly rather than a seasonal basis.