§ Lord Mason of Barnsleyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now reconsider the plans for a salmon tagging scheme designed to curb salmon poaching by way of an experiment in Scotland; and whether any official approaches by outside bodies have been made on this issue.
§ The Minister of State, Scottish Office (Lord Sanderson of Bowden)Currently there are no plans and no legislative powers to introduce compulsory tagging of salmon carcases. Tagging was considered carefully as a possible national anti-poaching measure prior to and during the parliamentary proceedings leading up to the Salmon Act 1986. It was decided then that this approach posed too many practical problems particularly for farmed and imported fish and for control of the very large numbers of tags which would be required.
1293WARecently the River Tweed Commissioners have suggested a pilot tagging scheme for the Tweed. I am now considering whether such a local scheme might be worth pursuing as a pilot exercise which could be organised and paid for locally without new legislation and which might enable tagging to be assessed as an aid to the management and monitoring of local stocks.