§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her estimate is of the number of cetaceans killed as a result of fishing by catch in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement [84463]
§ Mr. MorleyInformation on the full extent of dolphin casualties caused by fishing is not available.
Sample surveys carried out by the Sea Mammal Research Unit on behalf of DEFRA on UK vessels have recorded 61 animals killed since January 2001 as a result of bycatch in the bass fishery, of which eight occurred in the last 12 months. In this period, no bycatch has been observed in any other fishery. We are currently conducting trials into the use of exclusion devices to reduce bycatch in the bass fishery.