§ Lord Moranasked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of anxieties expressed about stocks of salmon and sea trout, what plans they have for future studies by the Salmon Advisory Committee.
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Trumpington)We are fully aware of anxieties about recent poor catch levels of salmon and sea trout and the possibility that these are related to mortalities at sea. The United Kingdom fisheries departments co-ordinate research needs and priorities and have established a working group which will soon review, together with other funding bodies, the factors affecting the marine phase of salmonid life-cycle. We do not propose to ask the Salmon Advisory Committee to undertake this work. However, the SAC will be kept closely in touch with these and other international studies relevant to their current work programme.