§ Sir Richard BodyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for what reason the United Kingdom abstained on quotas reached at the Fisheries Council of 10 June. [90949]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Council adopted a proposal introducing in 1999 two new Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and national quota allocations for North Sea spurdog and Northern prawn; and allocating in 1999 two existing TACs for blue whiting in Western waters and the Bay of Biscay. While the UK's shares of the spurdog and Northern prawn TACs were acceptable, one final share of the Western blue whiting TAC, although a significant improvement on the Commission's proposal, did not adequately reflect the substantial UK interest in this fishery. That being so, I decided that a UK abstention was appropriate.