§ Mr. William RossTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many tonnes of sandeels have been taken in Scottish coastal waters by commercial fishermen in each of the last five years; and what is his estimate of the annual sustainable yield.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythSandeel catches, in tonnes, landed into Scotland from Scottish inshore waters in the last five years are:
tonnes 1985 35,809 1986 36,429 1987 21,705 1988 35,283 1989 24,585 Sandeels are short-lived, so the stocks sizes are very dependent on recruitment which is neither predictable nor constant. The concept of annual sustainable yield is therefore not appropriate for species such as sandeels.