HC Deb 17 September 2004 vol 424 cc1920-2W
Mr. Paterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the status of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003—Western Waters; [188894]

(2) whether under Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003—Western Waters, UK shell fishermen could be prevented from fishing by the end of 2004; [188890]

(3) whether under Article 12 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003—Western Waters, Spanish fishermen will be permitted to fish for crab stocks in UK waters; and what her policy is on that provision. [188892]

Mr. Bradshaw

Council Regulation (EC) No. 1954/2003 establishes an effort management regime for EU vessels over 15 metres overall length fishing for demersal species, scallops and edible and spider crabs in ICES divisions V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X and certain parts of the waters managed by the Fisheries Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic (CECAF) and for vessels over 10 metres overall length fishing for these species in the biologically sensitive area in that part of area VII off the south and west coast of Ireland. The Regulation prohibits directed fishing for these species in Western Waters without a permit and provides for the setting of annual fishing effort allocations for each member state for each area and fishery described above. Those effort allocations are contained in Annex I of Council Regulation 1415/2004 and include effort allocations for UK vessels fishing for crabs in ICES areas V, VI, VII and VIII. These are based on the historic fishing activity of the UK crabbing fleet and so I would not expect UK shell fishermen to be prevented from fishing from the end of 2004. In the unlikely event that any of the UK crab effort allocations were in danger of being exhausted, Article 12 of Regulation 1954/2004 would allow the UK to submit a request to the Commission for an adjustment to its effort allocation either by an increase in the permitted fishing effort in a particular area or by a shift in fishing effort between areas. Such a request would need to be accompanied by a scientific assessment of the stock situation.

Regulation 1415/2004 provides effort allocations for Spain for crabs in ICES areas VIII, IX and CECAF but not in ICES areas V, VI, VII or X. Any request by Spain under Article 12 of Regulation 1954/2003 for increased effort allocations for crabs in UK waters would also need to be accompanied by a full scientific assessment of the stock situation which we would expect to be subject to rigorous scrutiny.

Mr. Paterson

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans her Department has to improve the monitoring of UK fisheries to prevent(a) illegal incursions from foreign fishing fleets, (b) criminal behaviour directed by animal rights groups against lobster fishermen and (c) the theft of clams from Poole harbour. [188896]

Mr. Bradshaw

United Kingdom Fisheries Departments maintain aerial and sea surveillance within UK waters to ensure compliance with fisheries legislation by all fishing vessels including those from foreign fleets. These arrangements are regularly reviewed. An essential element of effective enforcement at sea is co-operation between member states. This is something that the Government fully support. The UK is a signatory to the declaration by the recently-formed Scheveningen Group whose aim is to improve cooperation between North Sea coastal member states. We also intend to play a constructive part in discussions on the Community Fisheries Control Agency, one of whose key roles will be to co-ordinate member states enforcement activities.

British sea fishery officers are not empowered to deal with criminal behaviour by animal rights activists. The Government announced on 30 July in the paper "Animal Welfare—Human Rights: tackling animal rights extremism" a number of changes to strengthen the law on protests outside homes and harassment. These new proposals will strengthen on going action by the Government, police and Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to enforce existing legislation robustly and to ensure effective co-ordination to combat the criminal activities of extremists.

The theft of clams from Poole harbour is a matter for the Southern Sea Fisheries Committee to consider. Under the Poole Fishery Order 1985 (SI 1985 No. 847) the Committee is responsible for imposing and enforcing licensing and other restrictions on the fishing or taking of clams in a large area of Poole harbour. The Committee is also responsible for regulating fisheries elsewhere in the harbour under other legislation.