§ Mr. Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the state of shellfish stocks around the United Kingdom coast. [128540]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 4 July 2000]: Monitoring of the state of shellfish stocks by marine fisheries scientists at the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) suggests that the current rate of fishing on crab, crawfish and lobster could jeopardise stock sustainability. Work is now proceeding on the introduction of a restrictive Shellfish Licensing Scheme to aid stock conservation.