§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the population status of small cetaceans in the North sea; and what measures she has taken since the implementation of The Hague memorandum of understanding on small cetaceans to ensure habitat protection in the North sea. [29884]
§ Mr. ClappisonDuring 1994 the UK participated in an international project that aimed to record the abundance and distribution of small cetaceans throughout the North sea and adjacent waters. The project, which was co-ordinated by the sea mammal research unit in Cambridge, also received financial and logistical support from the European Commission, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. A copy of the project report can be obtained from my Department.
After The Hague memorandum of understanding, the United Kingdom signed and became a party to the agreement on the conservation of small cetaceans of the Baltic and North seas.