§ Lord Gray of Continasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have concluded their review of the extent of the weekly close time for salmon net fishing in Scotland.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sanderson of Bowden)Consideration of this issue has been completed and we have decided on general conservation grounds that the weekly close time for salmon net fishing in Scotland will be extended by 18 hours to 60 hours in total—that is, from 18.00 hours on Friday to 06.00 hours on Monday.
The increase in the weekly close time will be brought into effect by regulations amending Section 13 of the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries (Protection) (Scotland) Act 1951. We propose that the statutory instrument shall be laid early in 1988 and come into force at the beginning of May 1988, thus allowing salmon netsmen a period during which to make adjustments to their operations.