§ Mr. Beithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he has any evidence that fishing vessels from any European Economic Community country have fished for herring within 12 miles of the Northumberland coast.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithMy Department has obtained no recent evidence of any vessels fishing for herring in the area concerned; such fishing would currently be illegal by vessels of any nationality.
§ Mr. Beithasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence he has as to the methods of fishing used by Dutch vessels fishing for herring off the Northumberland coast prior to the North Sea herring ban and as to whether these included any method other than drift netting.
§ Mr. Buchanan-SmithObservations by the Sea Fisheries Inspectorate in my Department indicate that Dutch herring fishing in the North Sea before the ban was prosecuted by drift netting and by pelagic trawling.