§ Mr. GillTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which of the changes referred to in his New Year message to fishermen were initiatives from the industry itself. [66407]
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§ Mr. MorleyChanges in a number of areas were prompted by concerns put forward from within the fishing industry. These included the introduction of fixed quota allocations, action to link the registration and licensing of fishing vessels to the declaration of maximum continuous or permanently derated engine power, restrictive licensing for scallop dredging and measures to assist the replacement or introduction of pelagic freezer trawlers. Additionally, changes were made to EU rules to increase the selectivity of fishing gear, to increase the minimum leading sizes of shellfish and to extend the quota system to additional species of fish in the North Sea.