§ Mr. ChopeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make it the policy of the Government to outlaw(a) industrial trawling and (b) pair trawling for pelagic species. [84464]
§ Mr. MorleyReducing the incidental bycatch of small cetaceans will require action on the part of all member states involved in the fisheries concerned, not just the UK. Defra has already committed some £140,000 for trials into the use of exclusion devices developed by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) to reduce the bycatch of cetaceans in pelagic trawl fisheries. The trial will be resumed as soon as the commercial fishery restarts, in order to refine the system and further assess the grid's effectiveness in protecting dolphins and maintaining fish catch rates. If SMRU's trials are not successful, we will look at other mitigating measures, and I do not rule out any approach at this stage—including arguing for restrictions on fishing, gear or seasonal closures.