Seals (Hansard, 23 May 1990)

§ Mr. Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy to require fish farming operations to introduce measures to keep seals away which eliminate the need to employ marksmen to kill them.

§ Mr. Lang
In February this year the Scottish Salmon Growers Association published a code of practice on salmon farming and predatory wildlife. This document was developed in collaboration with various wildlife conservation interests, including the Nature Conservancy Council. It lays down the general policy that shooting or other methods of destructive control must only be considered as a last resort. In relation to seals, the code of practice emphasises that the killing of a particular animal may be considered only after reasonable measures have been taken to exclude seals from salmon farms.
My right hon. and learned Friend welcomes the adoption of the code of practice and the emphasis on non-destructive measures with shooting only as a last resort to prevent damage.

§ Mr. Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many seals he estimates were killed legitimately last year under the terms of the Seals Act 1970; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Lang
No such estimate is available. In 1989 no licences were issued to shoot seals of either species under the provisions in section 10 of the 1970 Act. There is no central record or requirement to report seals which may have been killed in other circumstances.

§ Mr. Malcolm Bruce
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy in respect of the establishment of fish farms adjacent to known seal colonies; and if he will make a statement.

§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
Proximity to areas of wildlife interests is one of the factors taken into account in the consultation procedures which the Crown Estates Commissioners undertake when considering a sea bed lease for the purposes of marine fish farming. The Crown Estates guidelines on siting procedures and principles, and226W on siting and design of marine fish farms in Scotland emphasise that important wildlife areas should be avoided. Nature conservation and other interests are given the opportunity to comment on applications for marine fish farm leases under the procedures agreed with my right hon. and learned Friend.