§ Mr. HayesTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proposals she will bring forward at(a) national and (b) European level to tackle cetacean by-catch; and if she will make a statement. [138088]
§ Mr. BradshawAt a national level, the UK has published a strategy for the reduction of small cetacean by-catch, which includes a number of recommendations for action. As part of this strategy, trials to reduce cetacean by-catch have been carried out in the offshore bass fishery. These trials have demonstrated that separator grids are a viable means of minimising dolphin by-catch in this fishery and the Scottish fishermen involved in this fishery have already indicated that they will continue to use the grid on a voluntary basis. I am determined to move forward from trialling the separator grid to deploying the gear in the fishery. However, given that the UK is not the main prosecutor of this fishery, it must be understood that whatever action we might consider by way of requiring the use of separator grids or other mitigation measures, or even closing the fisheries, would need to be implemented at the EU level in order to have significant effect.
The importance of reducing cetacean by-catch has been raised by the UK at ministerial level with the Fisheries Commissioner on a number of occasions and bilaterally with France. In particular, the UK has pressed for the introduction of a observer programme across the EU to broaden the information available about which fisheries, and which vessels, are involved in the problem.
The Commission published, on 24 July 2003, a draft Council regulation concerning the incidental by-catch of cetaceans in fisheries. Discussions on this proposal are at a very preliminary stage.