§ Dr. GodmanTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow on 1 December 1988,Official Report, column 860, if he will publish details of the monitoring of the incidental capture of cetaceans; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Donald ThompsonMy Department is working on the detailed arrangements for a proposed monitoring scheme and, once this has been established, it is intended that the information obtained will be made available. It is envisaged that fishermen will be asked to provide details of the species taken, its size, the type of fishing practice involved, the location of the capture and whether the animal was released unharmed. It is hoped that this range of information will help us to develop a much clearer understanding of the incidental capture of marine mammals.