§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the complaint made to the European Commission about alleged contravention of the European Habitats Directive by the Irish Government in relation to the salmon drift net fishery; and what assessment she has made of the impact of the alleged contravention on salmon stocks. [189139]
§ Mr. BradshawSince the UK Government are not party to this complaint we are not aware of how matters stand between the European Commission and the Irish Government in relation to it.
Tagging studies suggest that the Irish Salmon Drift Net Fishery takes less than 1 per cent. of salmon returning to rivers in the north-east of England, but this proportion is greater for stocks in Wales and the west of England, possibly increasing to around 10 per cent. for some rivers in the south and south-west.
Government take every opportunity to press the Irish to phase out this fishery.