Shellfish (Hansard, 20 February 1989)

§ Mr. Allan Roberts
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information is held by his Ministry on the virological quality of shellfish harvested in Morecambe bay and adjoining coastlines;
(2) what information is held by his Ministry on the bacteriological quality of shellfish harvested in Morecambe bay and adjoining coastlines.

§ Mr. Donald Thompson
The Ministry is aware of the status of the shellfisheries as determined by the environmental health departments of the local authorities concerned.

§ Mr. Allan Roberts
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information is held by his Ministry on the chemical quality of shellfish harvested in Morecambe bay and adjoining coastlines, with particular reference to compounds identified as black, grey or red list.

§ Mr. Donald Thompson
Both shellfish and finfish from the Morecambe bay area are sampled as part of the Ministry's national monitoring programme. Samples the edible mussel Mytilus edulis were collected in 1985 from Morecambe and Barrow-in-Furness and analysed. for the metals mercury, cadmium, lead, copper and zinc, the pesticides HCH, HCB, dieldrin and DDT and PCBs. In addition a sample of brown shrimp (crangon crangon) was obtained from the Lune Deeps area in 1982 and analysed for metals.
Using the guidelines listed in appendix 3 of the MAFF aquatic environment monitoring report No. 16, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, contaminant levels found would not be considered to be elevated in any of these samples.

§ Mr. Allan Roberts
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the potential for hydro-transportation of sediment-associated viruses from the proposed long sea outfall for the Fylde coast to shellfisheries in Morecambe bay and the adjoining coastlines.

§ Mr. Donald Thompson
This is one of the factors that the Ministry will take into account in providing comments on the proposal under the terms of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. Relevant to the Ministry's consideration will be the design characteristics of the proposed outfall and the location of the shellfisheries concerned.