§ Mr. Masonasked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many illegal fishing nets have been discovered on the salmon and trout rivers during each of the past five years; how many offences under the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Act involving salmon poaching have been dealt with by the courts in the last 12 months; if he will list the offences concerned and the penalties imposed; in how many cases the penalty imposed was the maximum for the offence; and what proposals he has to check the illegal netting of salmon in the rivers of Scotland.
§ Mr. Younger[pursuant to his reply, 29 June 1982, c. 287]: I regret that statistics on illegal fishing nets discovered in Scottish rivers are not available. The following table gives information on court proceedings for offences relating to salmon and freshwater fisheries for 1980, the latest year for which figures are available:
123W
Offences Relating to Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries, Scotland 1980 No. Persons tried 382 Persons against whom charge proved 338 of whom: admonished 14 fined* 305 case remitted to children's hearing 1 sentenced to borstal training 2 sentenced to imprisonment† 16 * Highest fine recorded was £650. † Longest sentence recorded is in range of over 1 year and up to 2 years. These figures include the offence of salmon poaching, but I regret that separate figures for individual types of offences are not available.
The control of illegal netting in Scottish rivers is a matter for the district salmon fishery boards; I am not aware that it is a serious problem for them.