Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Wednesday, 13 June 2007.

Coral

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:What assessment they have made of the health and size of coral reefs in United Kingdom waters and around the world and of the effect that the trade in coral is having on those reefs.

Answer: Periodic global assessments of the state of the world's coral reefs are carried out by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network and others, such as the World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The effects of climate change are considered in the reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. UK non-governmental organisations and scientists are very active in coral reef conservation work. The Government are, therefore, aware of the particular pressures on the world’s coral reefs. Several surveys of cold-water coral reefs in UK ““home”” waters have been carried out over the past decade. Large-scale reefs have been found on, for instance, Rockall and Hatton Banks. Unusual coral reef structures, known as the Darwin Mounds, have been found to the north and west of Scotland. Evidence of damage from trawlers at this site ledto the Government seeking fishery management measures through the common fisheries policy. These measures are now in place, and there is evidence that fishing activity has decreased greatly as a result. Similar management measures are in place to protect coral reefs on the Rockall and Hatton Banks.

Secondary information