§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department has on the recruitment level of sand-eels in Shetland waters in 1986, 1987, 1988, and 1989.
§ Mr. Lang[holding answer 6 June 1990]: The latest assessment of sand-eel recruitment in Shetland waters—the number of young fish which become available to the fishery each year—is as follows:
Million 1986 48,955 1987 2,258 1988 1,273 Insufficient data on the 1989 year class are available so far to give a reliable estimate. The figures refer to "0" group fish—that is, young of the year at 1 July.