§ Mr. Peter RobinsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how often trout fattening ponds are visited by his Department's officials; [10666]
(2) what have been the wild fish losses at fish farm intakes over the past 21 years; [10667]
(3) if Department staff report the number of dead wild fish observed at the intake of fish farms when monitoring the farms. [10668]
§ Mr. BaldryAll farms holding trout in England and Wales are inspected by fish disease inspectors once every six months, and fish sampled every 24 months on a routine basis; visits and sampling would also occur whenever there is suspicion of disease. Should inspectors observe dead wild fish or be notified of such occurrences, they would take appropriate disease control action. Inspectors would also notify the National Rivers Authority, which is responsible for the regulation and management of salmon and freshwater fisheries in England and Wales, including pollution control measures. However, no record is kept of wild fish losses at fish farm intakes.