§ 16. Mr. BeggsTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the extent of illegal netting and poaching on salmon and dollaghan rivers in Northern Ireland and in Lough Neagh.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe total amount of illegal netting seized in Northern Ireland by the Fisheries Conservancy Board and the Foyle Fisheries Commission for the two years 1988 and 1989 was 17,839m and 15,620m respectively while the netting seized in Lough Neagh was 11,142m and 6,400m respectively. In the same two years the total number of prosecutions taken in Northern Ireland for illegal netting and poaching related offences was 427 and 372 respectively.