§ Mr. John Home Robertsonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost of enforcement operations under legislation for the protection of migratory trout and salmon by the armed forces carried out, on behalf of his Department in waters which come under the jurisdiction of the river Tweed commissioners in each of the past five years; how this compares with the cost of operations in other Scottish estuaries; and what plans he has for such operations during the current year.
§ Mr. YoungerIt is not possible to give separately the cost of the enforcement in a particular area of a specific piece of legislation. Fishery protection vessels of the Royal Navy fishery protection squadron and of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland are deployed extensively throughout Scottish inshore waters on the enforcement of sea fisheries legislation generally.
Unless circumstances change, enforcement operations on migratory trout and salmon this year will be at a level broadly similar to that of previous years.