HC Deb 18 December 1991 vol 201 cc197-8W
Mr. Maclennan

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many United Kingdom fishing vessels have been reported to the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland as having failed to notify the Department before crossing the 4 deg. west line as required under the Sea Fish Licensing Order 1989, as amended; and how many masters of such fishing vessels have been(a) warned, (b) cautioned and (c) charged under the relevant Fisheries Acts.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The requirement for certain United Kingdom fishing vessels to contact a designated office of the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency before crossing the 4 deg. west line was introduced in March 1989. Since that time the agency has taken action on 734 occasions where there have been reasonable grounds to believe that the reporting-in arrangements have not been complied with. These suspected infringements have been dealt with as follows:

Number
Warnings issued 538
Cautions issued 196
Charged by prosecuting authorities 7

Mr. Onslow

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his department takes to monitor transhipments of fish to factory vessels in Scottish waters; and what breaches of the regulations have been detected as a result of these checks in each of the past five years.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency restricts both the number of ports where transhipments may take place and the hours during which such operations may be carried out to assist in the control of transhipments of fish to factory ships. This allows for a high degree of monitoring. Fishery Officers have in 1991 inspected some 1,900 catching vessels before they begin to transfer fish to factory ships. This accounts for 95 per cent. of transhipment activity. Full monitoring of quantities while fish are being transferred to factory ships takes place in selected cases. This was undertaken in 336 cases in 1991. Monitoring of documents and returns submitted by catching and receiving vessels further assists in controlling transhipments.

The number of offences detected as a result of the above procedures in each of the last five years are:

Number
1987 6
1988 13
1989 8
1990 3
11991 4
1 To date.

These detections relate mainly to attempts to understate the quantities of fish which are being transhipped.