South-West Atlantic (Fish Stocks) (Hansard, 3 December 1992)

§ Mr. Shersby
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with the Argentine Government concerning the conservation of fish stocks in the south-west Atlantic; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Garel-Jones
Discussions were held with the Argentine Government at the fourth meeting of the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission on 23 and 24 November 1992. The delegations exchanged views on conservation and related matters. We shall continue the dialogue with the Argentine Government.
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§ Mr. Shersby
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what was the value of licences to fish for illex squid in Falkland Islands waters in 1992, if he will make an estimate of the projected income for 1993; what information he has concerning investment in fisheries in the Falkland Islands; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Garel-Jones
The income from illex squid licences to fish in Falkland Islands waters in 1992 amounted to £20.768 million. The current licensing round is riot yet complete and prospective income is uncertain. It could be significantly lower. The market for squid is weak. There may be fewer applications for licences.

§ Mr. Shersby
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent information he has concerning the depletion of stocks of the illex squid in the waters of the south-west Atlantic; and what is his policy for ensuring that immature squid is protected from overfishing in these waters.

§ Mr. Garel-Jones
The proportion of the annual illex squid brood which is not caught each season and is thus able to breed has been sufficient to maintain an adequate stock in Falkland Islands waters.
We support the measures taken by the Falkland Islands Government to prevent overfishing by limiting the number of licences for fishing in the Falkland Islands conservation zone (FICZ), closing the fishery early if necessary and negotiating voluntary restraint agreements to prevent overfishing in the adjacent high seas. We discuss with Argentina measures for fisheries conservation in the South Atlantic Fisheries Commission.