§ Mr. Alan ReidTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute at European Standing Committee A on 23 April 2002 column 7, what steps she is taking to persuade the European Commission that banning trawling for nephrops will have a very small impact on cod recovery. [79607]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 5 November 2002]: The European Commission has yet to bring forward its proposals for the management of commercial fish stocks in 2003, following the recent recommendations from international scientists for a moratorium on most directed cod fishing and also on fishing for other species unless the taking of cod as a bycatch can be eliminated. We are working closely with the fishing industry to devise a package of measures which we can advocate in the EU and which will respect the scientific assessment whilst as far as possible keeping fishing opportunities open for the industry. We have already reminded the Commission of our view—substantiated last year by detailed scientific analysis—that curbing nephrops fishing brings minimal benefit to cod.
§ Mr. Alan ReidTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary to the hon. Member for Argyll and Bute at European Standing Committee A on 23 April, 2002Official Report, column 7, if she will place in the Library (a) her Department's evidence to the European Commission which demonstrated that the level of cod by-catch in the nephrops fishery was very small and that the Commission's figures were an overestimate and (b) the European Commission's response; and if she will make a statement. [80055]
§ Mr. MorleyThe Fisheries Departments in the UK submitted material to the European Commission on several occasions in 2001, refuting in detail the Commission's argument that cutting nephrops fishing significantly benefits cod stocks. The specifics of this correspondence are confidential, but the basis of the case was figures demonstrating that landings of cod did not increase in line with landings of nephrops. This material was submitted in support of the UK's request for in-year restoration of the cuts that were made to the Total Allowable Catches for nephrops in the North Sea, in the Irish Sea and West of Scotland in 2001: in response, the Commission did not agree to restore the cuts, but did subsequently largely withdraw its 585W proposals for further substantial cuts for 2002. Restoration of the cuts made in 2001 is an issue we are still actively pressing with the Commission.
§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate her Department has made of the weight and value of cod discarded in each of the fish management areas in the seas around the UK as a result of an unintentional by-catch of over quota cod in each year since 1997 and the latest available estimate for 2002; [79022]
(2) if her Department has estimated the total weight and potential value of fish discarded by UK fishing vessels as a result of the unintentional by-catch of over quota fish. [79023]
§ Mr. MorleyEstimates of discards are obtained by placing observers on a random sample of fishing vessels. Observers are not in a position to establish fully the reasons why fish are discarded, but the main reasons appear to be that fish are undersized, not of sufficient quality, or damaged. We are not able at this time to provide estimates for discards of all species in all sea areas. Estimates of the weight of cod discards (in tonnes, gutted) by(a) English and Welsh vessels in the North Sea and Irish Sea and (b) UK vessels landing into Scotland, are set out below.
(a) English & Welsh Vessels North Sea Irish Sea Year < Legal Size > Legal Size Year < Legal Size > Legal Size 1997 2191 636 1997 nd nd 1998 2232 668 1998 nd nd 1999 772 274 1999 nd nd 2000 444 52 2000 17 3 2001 453 60 2001 4 2 2002* 80 11 2002 <1 0 Notes: * January to June nd = no data
(b) UK vessels landing into Scotland Year North Sea (IV) < Legal Limit > Legal Limit Total 1997 4412.2 1659.9 6072.1 1998 6669.1 2122.9 8792.0 1999 2135.2 420.9 2556.1 2000 3077.0 462.1 3539.1 2001 3195.0 600.0 3795.0 2002* 1155.4 50.1 1205.5
Year West Coast (Via) < Legal Limit > Legal Limit Total 1997 163.6 26.8 190.4 1998 181.0 66.0 247.0 1999 52.8 0.3 53.1 2000 335.5 14.3 349.8 2001 79.6 39.0 118.6 2002* 33.5 15.2 48.7