HC Deb 10 March 1980 vol 980 c438W
Mr. Prescott

asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the minimum number of vessels or catching capacity registered by the British fishing industry to catch a possible 45 or 50 per cent. of the available fish in the waters surrounding EEC countries.

Mr. Buchanan-Smith

It is not possible to give a single estimate; the number of vessels required to take a given level of catch depends on assumptions about the catching capacity of individual vessels comprising the fleet, fishing conditions and other variables.