§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions in the UK were brought against fishermen in each of the last 10 years for landing black fish; and how many fishermen were convicted. [150239]
§ Mr. BradshawInformation in the form requested is not readily available. However information extracted from returns on serious fisheries infringements in the United Kingdom submitted to the European Commission since 2000 in response Council Regulation (EC) No 1447/1999 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 2740/1999 shows that the number of infringements involving the falsification of logbooks, landing declarations and sales notes, for which prosecutions were completed and with which black fish landings are associated, were:
Black fish landing Number 2000 31 2001 55 2002 78 Most of the infringements for which prosecutions were taken resulted in a successful conviction.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate her Department has made of changes in the tonnage of black fish landed by the United Kingdom registered fishing fleet in(a) home and (b) foreign ports in the last five years; and what her estimate is of the tonnage of black fish landed in the last year. [150243]
§ Mr. BradshawNo estimates have been produced by the Department of the overall levels of illegal landings for the 100 or so fish stocks for which the UK has quota.
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§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial contributions her Department made in the last five financial years to fisheries research(a) undertaken and (b) commissioned by the European Union; and what the projects were. [150244]
DEFRA contributions to EU fisheries projects between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 £ Title DEFRA funded EC FAIR Programme: A calibration of different molecular markers for use in the discrimination and management of stocks of commercially Important Species CO135 EC 95/0282 120,240 EC FAIR Programme, 1996: European fish aging network—Efan C0300 EC FAIR CT 96 1304 9,829 EC FAIR Programme 1997: diachronic changes in growth rate of North Sea fish species in relation lo anthropogenic activities and climate changes C0418 EC FAIR CT 97 3462 44,150 EC STUDIES: evaluation and development of spatio-temporal models and survey designs for efficient assessment of mackerel and horse-mackerel C0532 EC 97/0097 5,974 EC STUDIES: monitoring fish and epibenthic biodiversity in the north sea and Skagerrak C0738 EC 98/02 139,550 EC STUDIES: monitoring discarding and retention on fishing vessels towing demersal gears in the North Sea and Skagerrak C0739 EC 98/097 116,807 EC STUDIES: evaluation of market sampling for a number of commercially exploited fish stocks in the North Sea C0768 EC 98/075 62,928 EC STUDIES: optimisation of the design of a summer trawl research vessel study for north sea stock C0769 EC 98/029 19,267 EC STUDIES: development of stock assessment methodologies egg production estimates of Irish Sea demersal stocks C0798 EC 98/090 268,967 EC FAIR: shelf-edge advection, mortality and recruitment (SEAMAR) C0938 FAIR CT98–3695 2,250 EC STUDIES framework to improve the assessment of demersal and pelagic fisheries in western European waters FIEFA 2 C0950 76,341 EC STUDIES alternative uses of data from satellite monitoring of fishing vessel activity in fisheries management C0955 52,792 EC STUDIES development of elasmobranch assessments C0963 24,375 EC STUDIES collection and evaluation of assessment data for key European edible crab stocks C0981 57,618 EC FPV development of structurally detailed statistically testable models of marine populations (DST) C0982 152,401 EC FPV combining geostatistical and Bayesian methods to improve the scientific basis for the management of Atlantic mackerel fisheries C0989 422,787 EC FPV European decapod crustacean fisheries: assessment and management (EDFAM) C1047 11,058 EC FPV determination of the linkage between hydrographical frontal activity and ecosystem dynamics in the North Sea and Skagerrak LIFECOC1080X5RS-2000–30183 398,483 EC STUDIES mackerel triennial egg survey WGMEGS C1237 00/038 153,448 EC FPV combining acoustic and trawl data for estimating fish abundance CATEFA C1251 QLRT-2000–02038 125,914 Comparative behavioural dynamics of cod in European waters (CODYSSEY) C1451 QLRT-2001–00813 445,748 Integrated approach to the biological basis of age estimation in commercially important fish species (IBACS) C1473QLRT-2001–01610 93,021 Reproductive potential of cod and hake in relation to recovery plans RASER C1492QLRT-2001–01825 130,066 Framework for the evaluation of management strategies (FEMS) CI502QLRT-2001–01824 95,685 Technological developments and tactical adaptions of important EU fleets (TECTAC) C1522QLRT-2001–01291 99,259 Policy Knowledge in fisheries management—the North Sea cod case (PKFM)C1528QLRT-2001–01782 36,792
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what representations she has received from(a) fishermen and (b) their representatives on the (i) application and (ii) utility of selective gear in reducing cod by-catch in haddock fisheries; [150251]
(2) what consultations her Department had with British fishing industry representatives about linking the increase in the haddock quota with spatial management; [150300]
(3) when she was first informed of the Commission's proposal to link spatial management with the increase in the British haddock quota; [150301]
(4) how much time was spent at the December Fisheries Council discussing options for increasing the haddock quota for Scottish boats in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb without resorting to the principle of spatial management; [150302]
(5) what proposals she and her officials put to the (a) Council of Ministers and (b) Commission in or before December 2003 with the aim of enabling Scottish fishermen to maximise opportunities to catch European haddock. [150856]
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§ Mr. BradshawDetails of the level of Defra financial contribution to EU fisheries research projects, and the project titles, active between 1999–2000 and 2003–04 is given in the following table.
§ Mr. BradshawRepresentations from the industry indicated, variously, a preference for some kind of spatial management. Technical conservation methods (such as selective gear) were also advocated by some as an option to be considered in parallel with spatial management they are developed.
At the December Fisheries Council all the options to enable responsible exploitation of the North sea haddock stock were considered at some length, but the solution agreed was developed from the spatial management proposed by the industry. In order to secure additional quota for the UK, we negotiated the special licensing system to ensure protection of the cod stock.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of cod sold in the British retail market is caught by British registered boats. [150303]
§ Mr. BradshawInformation available on landings of and trade in cod in 2002 indicates that landings by UK registered vessels accounted for 15 per cent. of total cod consumed in the UK during the year. However, most of the cod imported into the UK has been processed to some extent. As such on a standardised live weight equivalent basis, the landings by UK registered vessels accounted for 5 per cent. of total cod consumed in the UK in 2002.
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§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment has been made of the economic impact of including steaming time in the days at sea allowance on the fishing ports of north east England; [150318]
(2) what the reason is for including steaming time in the days at sea allowance. [150325]
§ Mr. BradshawThe time at sea limits in 2003 provided for a separate allowance of days for steaming to and from the fishing grounds, for vessels using gear of over 100 mm mesh. No separate allowance exists for 2004, because the calculation of days at sea for 2004 takes account of the fleet's time at sea in the base period, including its steaming time.
The permitted number of days for the vessels using over 100 mm mesh gear is 15 per month for 2004, the same total as in 2003.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what limitations have been placed on the locations in which the(a) monkfish and (b) megrim quota awarded to the Scottish fleet can be caught in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb. [150321]
§ Mr. BradshawNo such limitations apply specifically to the monkfish or megrim quotas set for the management area comprising International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) areas Ila (EC waters) and IV (EC waters).
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the reason is for excluding pelagic boats from the cod exclusion zone in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas area VIa. [150326]
§ Mr. BradshawNo scientific reason was adduced for this. The Commission has now acknowledged that the provision is more restrictive than is necessary to protect cod, and is working on revised wording.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the approximate landed fish values of the quotas of(a) cod,(b)haddock, (c) monkfish and (d) megrim, awarded to the Scottish fishing fleet in International Council for the Exploration of the Seas areas IVa and IVb were for this year. [150327]
§ Mr. BradshawIt is not possible to estimate in advance the value of quota. Fish quota, held in the form of Fixed Quota Allocation Units, has no intrinsic value. Any value placed on uncaught quota used in quota transfers will depend on market conditions and each parties assessment of its value. The table shows the value at first point of sale of fish landed by the Scottish fleet from ICES areas IVa and IVb in the most recent year for which complete figures are available. It gives an indication of the value realised by landings of these quota species.
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Value offish landed by the Scottish fleet 2002 £000 Area of capture Landed fish IVa IVb Monkfish 17,379 469 Cod 20,109 1,309 Haddock 20,114 4,804 Megrim 2,774 2
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what factors affect the(a) seaworthiness and (b) ability to trawl in adverse weather conditions of fishing vessels; what effect these factors have on the ability of vessels to exploit fully allocations of days at sea. [150479]
§ Mr. BradshawThe seaworthiness of fishing vessels, and their ability to trawl in adverse weather, depend on various factors, including their design and construction, the standard of maintenance, and the standard of operation of the vessels. It is the responsibility of the skipper to determine when it is safe to fish.
In any year fishing operations will be curtailed from time to time by adverse weather. The calculation of permitted days at sea for 2004 takes account of the time spent at sea in the base period, including when fishing was constrained by bad weather. It thus incorporates time for when fishing is not safe.
§ Mr. PatersonTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the implications of the use of days at sea restrictions on regulating fishing effort. [150916]
§ Mr. BradshawLimits on time at sea applied in 2003 in the North sea and West of Scotland, to help conserve cod stocks. On the basis of experience with this measure the European Commission and the member states concluded that limits on time at sea should be continued in order to reduce fishing effort as part of a cod recovery plan. Experience in administering the various elements of controls in 2003 informed decisions by the Council of Ministers on the details of successor arrangements for 2004. The Government's objective in negotiations on the 2004 arrangements took account of the views of the fishing industry on the 2003 measures.