§ Sir Cranley OnslowTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what action the Government are taking to implement the recommendations in the Salmon Advisory Committee's report "The Run Timing of Salmon". [31942]
§ Mr. WaldegraveMy right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Secretary of State and I have carefully studied the Salmon Advisory Committee's report. In our view, it makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the factors that determine the age at which salmon return to their native rivers to spawn and of the various possible reasons for the recent decline in the number of early running, spring salmon that spend more than one winter at sea. The report concludes that changes in environmental conditions in the sea are likely to be a major factor in the current low abundance of spring fish, but that it is also likely that heavy selective exploitation of older sea-age classes and early running fish is implicated.
The report makes a number of recommendations. The majority of these are for further research, and the fisheries departments will take particular account of the SAC's views when reviewing their existing research programmes on salmon and commissioning further research.
The report also recommends that consideration be given to protection, and perhaps enhancement, of early running fish, particularly in stocks where spring runs have suffered the most acute decline. Actions that it suggests might be appropriate include protection, rehabilitation and development of habitat; additional control of exploitation in both commercial and sport fisheries; and protection of stocks from illegal fishing. It further recommends that for 698W such fisheries management action should be undertaken on a river-by-river basis.
My right hon. Friends and I are drawing these recommendations for management action to the attention of the National Rivers Authority and the district salmon fisheries boards in Scotland and, asking them, in particular, to consider urgently whether, and if so what, action is needed to conserve the runs of spring fish in the fisheries for which they are responsible. We will take full account of the SAC's views in considering any proposals for further action that they make.
In this context, I am asking the National Rivers Authority to reconsider the recommendation, in the report on salmon net fisheries presented to Parliament in 1991, that the opening date for the drift net fisheries of Northumbria and Yorkshire should be postponed until 1 May so as to reduce the level of exploitation of spring running salmon. The NRA decided not to implement this recommendation, on the grounds that any action on spring fish needed to be part of a wider programme embracing rod and net fisheries in both England and Scotland. In the light of the Salmon Advisory Committee's report, and in the expectation that appropriate action will be taken in other fisheries, there is now an opportunity for a postponement of the opening of the drift netting season until I May to form part of such a wider programme.