HC Deb 26 October 1993 vol 230 cc569-70W
Mr. Chris Smith

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what measures she intends to introduce in order to meet the requirements to monitor and control incidental capture and killing of cetaceans as set out in the EC habitats and species directive article 12(4).

Mr. Jack

Article 12(4) of the EC habitats and species directive requires member states to establish a system to monitor the incidental capture and killing of certain animal species, including cetaceans. In anticipation of this obligation, in January 1992 the UK Fisheries Departments introduced a voluntary scheme for fishermen to report incidents involving the accidental capture of marine mammals. This scheme has not been successful and is currently being reconsidered. Separately, the Department of the Environment funds marine mammal strandings schemes for England and Wales and for Scotland through which post mortems on recovered carcases are carried out and particular stranding incidents investigated.

Mr. Chris Smith

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what powers her Ministry possesses to regulate fishing operations, including attaching conditions on the siting or the use of fishing nets, for the express purpose of conserving cetaceans.

Mr. Jack

The powers available to regulate fishing operations are in relation to sea fish as defined in the Sea Fish (Conservation) Act 1967. This definition does not include cetaceans. Obligations on the United Kingdom in relation to the incidental capture and killing of cetaceans are set out in the EC habitats and species directive.

Mr. Chris Smith

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports have been received from fishermen of incidental catches of marine mammals under her Ministry's voluntary monitoring scheme; what assessment she has made of the extent to which this is a true reflection of the scale of incidental catches around the United Kingdom coast; and if she will make a statement on the adequacy of this scheme.

Mr. Jack

Since the scheme was introduced by the United Kingdom Fisheries Departments in January 1992 six reports of incidental catches have been received. These involved five common porpoises, three common seals, one grey seal and one common dolphin. Two of the common seals and the dolphin survived and were released. The scheme has not been successful as returns clearly fall short of the number of strandings from all sources recorded by the Department of the Environment's marine strandings co-ordinators. The scheme is currently being reconsidered.