§ Mr. FrenchTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many vessels are currently licensed to fish in British waters; and of those, how many are owned by Spanish operators. [20844]
§ Mr. BaldryAs at 1 January 1996, some 8,500 British registered vessels were licensed to fish for profit in British and Community waters, although not all of these are entitled to fish for the full range of stocks subject to quota.
Following the introduction of the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Shipping) Regulations 1993 (SI 1993 No. 3138), the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen no 151W longer collects details of shareholdings in UK companies owning British-registered fishing vessels. We estimate, however, that there are more than 100 licensed UK vessels with a significant Spanish interest.