§ Mr. Menzies CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what measures he intends to take to protect the livelihoods of East Neuk of Fife fishermen affected by the sandeel fishing of Danish vessels over traditional Fife fishing grounds;
(2) what representations he has made on behalf of East Neuk of Fife fishermen to the Danish Government about the extent of sandeel fishing over traditional Fife fishing grounds.
§ Sir Hector Monro[holding answer 29 June 1994]: Sandeels are normally caught with only minimal by-catches of other species. By-catches of whitefish species will typically comprise around 1 per cent. of total catch. The European Union also sets maximum levels for by-catches of protected species, such as cod and haddock.
Inspectors from the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency regularly board sandeel vessels to ensure that these by-catch limits are observed. In 1993, there were over 150 such boardings and no cases were found of a breach of the EC by-catch regulations. This year, up to 24 June, 38 boardings had been made of 36 vessels, again without any evident breach of by-catch limits.
All the available evidence indicates that sandeel vessels are operating within the terms of EC regulations. Even so, I recognise the concern in the industry at the possible impact which current levels of sandeel fishing may be having on other fish stocks and on the marine eco-system in general. At last December's Fisheries Council, the United Kingdom persuaded the Council to call for an investigation of the broader effects of industrial fishing. A 721W working group consisting of fisheries biologists and marine ecologists from all relevant member states is expected to report later this year.