§ Mr. Alan CampbellTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many foreign owned fishing vessels were on the UK register(a) in May 1997 and (b) at the most recent date for which figures are available. [145575]
§ Mr. MorleyComprehensive information about the beneficial ownership of UK fishing vessels is no longer maintained by the Registry of Fishing and Seamen.350W However, based on advice from local port offices of the Fisheries Departments in the UK, we estimate that there were more than 160 wholly or partly foreign owned fishing vessels in the UK fleet at the end of 1996 and that this number had fallen to 115 by June 2000.