§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is her estimate for the last 12 months of the landing of unlogged fish around the coast of the United Kingdom; what percentage of total landings this represents; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. JackThe landing of unlogged fish is an illegal activity and it is not possible to make a meaningful estimate of the extent to which it occurs. Illegal landings jeopardise the livelihoods of fishermen and those dependent on the industry and undermine the efforts that are being made to conserve stocks. The United Kingdom fisheries inspectorate devotes substantial resources to detecting and preventing unlogged landings of fish and appropriate enforcement action is taken where there is firm evidence of illegal landings occurring.