§ Mr. Nigel EvansTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards the phasing out of the north-east salmon drift net fishery; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackThe National Rivers Authority recently made a new net limitation order which places further restrictions on the number of licences that could be issued for drift netting for salmon off the coasts of Yorkshire and Northumbria, and largely prohibited the reallocation of surrendered licences. The order took effect on 22 January. I understand that, to date, 124 drift net licences have been issued for the 1993 season under the new arrangements. This compares with 142 drift net licences issued in 1992. A further five licences have been offered to eligible applicants but have not yet been taken up. One application is still under consideration.