§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if pollution in Langstone Harbour has resulted in the reclassification of shellfish; what assessment he has made of the effects on the local fishing industry; and if he will make a statement. [28651]
§ Angela EagleClassification of shellfish production areas, as required by the Shellfish Hygiene Directive, lays down health conditions for the production and marketing of live bivalve molluscs (such as oysters, mussels, clams). Under this system, shellfish harvesting waters at the northern end of Langstone harbour were downgraded in 1994 from category B to category C (which meant that shellfish products required a longer period of cleansing or heat treatment, before being offered for sale). Waters elsewhere in the Harbour remained category B. This reflects a monitored deterioration in water quality which may have been due to increased pollution from one or more sources such as a sewage treatment works, riverine inputs or run-off from agricultural land. There has been no further reclassification of shellfish waters in Langstone Harbour.