§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what actions she is taking to prevent dolphin deaths in European waters; and if she will make a statement. [100070]
§ Mr. MorleyDefra 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 in March 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 EU restrictions on fishing, gear or seasonal closures.
For measures to reduce cetacean bycatch to be effective requires action on the part of all member states involved in the fisheries concerned and the Commission. This is why we raised the need for urgent action by the Commission and other member states at the January Council of Ministers' meeting. I have raised this issue with Commissioner Fischler on a number of occasions both in writing and in personal contacts. I have also recently written to the Commission to press for urgent action to widen observer coverage off the South West coast where a number of other Member States' vessels fish. I was pleased that the Commission included a commitment to take action in this area in papers produced as part of the recent reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. I am looking for positive action on this in response to our recent approaches.