Sandeels (Hansard, 31 January 1991)

§ Dr. Godman
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will outline the criteria which will be used to determine whether the proposed closure of the Shetland sandeel fishery will enable sandeel stocks to reach adequate and sustainable levels; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
The proposal to keep the Shetland sandeel fishery closed in 1991 is based on the latest scientific advice that the level of spawning stock has continued to decline and that the fishery should be closed until the stock recovers. While the decline in stocks has not been caused by fishing, and is related to natural factors affecting recruitment of young fish to the stock, closure of the fishery would represent the maximum protection available for the stock in its current poor condition. The recovery of the stocks will depend principally on future recruitment levels which cannot be predicted.

§ Dr. Godman
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will provide capital grants to existing sandeel fishermen to assist them in adapting to the fishing of alternative stocks during the period of closure of the Shetland sandeel fishery; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
No. Those fishing vessels normally involved in the Shetland sandeel fishery already fish for other species.

§ Dr. Godman
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will maintain the proposed closure of the Shetland sandeel fishery for a period which allows the population of Arctic terns to reach a sustainable level; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Michael Forsyth
While a final decision on the management arrangements for the Shetland sandeel fishery in 1991 is subject to consultation with interested parties, a consultation paper issued in December 1990 proposes that the fishery be closed until sandeel spawning stock levels recover. The future availability of juvenile sandeels to Arctic terns is primarily dependent on recruitment to the stock, which is affected by natural factors outwith our control and not by fishing effort.