§ 40. Mr. David PorterTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what controls are applied to ensure that the nature of the sea-bed and fish breeding grounds are not changed by industrial dredging; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GummerLicences, issued by the Crown Estate Commissioners, to extract material state the precise location within which dredging is permitted, and the maximum quantities which may be extracted. Where necessary, additional controls can be applied, including a maximum depth for dredging, restrictions on the time of year for dredging, and a ban on discharge of fine material if adjacent shellfish deposits or spawning grounds might be blanketed. The controls applied in a particular case will be designed to allow recolonisation of the seabed once extraction has finished and to prevent dredging damaging sensitive fisheries.