§ Mr. Macleanasked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the overall value of the salmon trade in the United Kingdom; what he estimates to be (a) the proportion of the trade made up by salmon farmers, (b) the proportion of the trade represented by net fishermen and (c) the proportion of the trade made up by fly and line catchers; for each of these, if he will estimate the number of people involved; and how many are dependent on this type of fishing for a livelihood.
§ Mr. MacGregorWe estimate that, of the Atlantic salmon available to the market in Great Britain in 1983, 38 per cent. came from British salmon farms, 38 per cent. from imports, 20 per cent. from commercial net fishermen and 4 per cent. from rod and line catches (not all the latter will necessarily have been marketed). In 1984 fish farm production rose by just over 50 per cent. and imports rose very slightly; final figures for net catches and rod and line catches are not yet available. Records are not available of the value of trade in salmon, of the number of people employed in the trade or of the number of people dependent on salmon fishing for a livelihood.