§ Mr. DafisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to undertake a census and research programme into the bottlenose dolphin population in United Kingdom waters.
§ Mr. MacleanThe Government are financing several research projects intended to provide information on what further measures may be needed to conserve populations of small cetacean species present in the United Kingdom coastal waters, including bottlenose dolphins. But much of the fundamental work—including population surveys—needs to be undertaken on a European scale.
On 6 November 1992, my colleague, Lord Strathclyde, announced that the Government would contribute £110,000 over two years towards the costs of an international survey of the populations of small cetaceans in the North sea. This will establish authoritative baseline information upon which further research and conservation efforts can be built.