Written question asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Tuesday, 2 May 2006.

Fishing: Salmon

Question: What recent representations they have made to the Government of the Irish Republic regarding the introduction of a self-imposed embargo on drift-netting in order to protect and restore salmon stocks in the north Atlantic; and what were the results of those representations.

Answer: The National Salmon Commission in Ireland has recently been determining the management regime for its fishery, based on the advice of its scientific committee. We have provided assistance to the commission as regards the way in which we and the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (UK) organised the buyout of the majority of the North-East Coast Salmon Driftnet Fishery. We are also prepared to offer help to the working group which the Irish Marine Minister has set up to consider the implications for the net fishery of reducing the total allowable catch (TAC) to a level which would enable conservation limits to be respected. In our view, this long-standing problem should properly be resolved in an EU context (rather than in a wider international forum such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), and we believe that there is now the will on all sides to do so.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 5155; 681 c53WA
Session: 2005-06
Subjects: Conservation Fisheries Fish Republic of Ireland Drift nets Salmon North Atlantic Ocean
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk