§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has made to the Russian authorities on the killing by former Soviet whalers of blue whales; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackThe United Kingdom is well aware of recent reports of under-reporting by the former Soviet Union of catches of a number of species of whale, including the blue whale. At a recent intersessional meeting of the International Whaling Commission, the Russian delegation undertook, in response to a request from a number of delegations, to submit to the IWC comprehensive updated statistical data on the USSR's whale catches.
The United Kingdom commissioner to the IWC has since written to the Russian authorities welcoming the contribution Russia made at this meeting and reaffirming the importance we attach to obtaining accurate information on past whale catches.