§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the annual tonnage of salmon caught in Scotland in each of the last 10 years(a) by anglers and (b) by commercial fishermen.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 29 January 1990]: Details of reported catches of Scottish salmon and sea trout by salmon fishery statistical district and by method of catch (rod-and-line, net and coble, and fixed engine) are given for the years 1982–88 in annual statistical bulletins and for previous years in "Scottish salmon catch statistics 1952–1981". Copies of these publications by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland are available in the Library.
§ Mr. TrotterTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will publish figures on the level of salmon stocks in the principal Scottish rivers in recent years.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 29 January 1990]: Information on the size of the salmon stocks on each river in Scotland is not available. An electronic fish counter has been operated on the river North Esk by the freshwater fisheries laboratory of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland for some years. The numbers of adult salmon passing upstream past that counter are as follows:
Year Numbers of adult salman 1985 9,912 1986 6,987 1987 7,132 1988 11,243 DAFS scientists are also making a widespread survey of juvenile stocks of salmon in Scottish rivers.