Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what limits his Department recommends for proximity to shore of near-shore pair trawlers.

Operational advice issued regarding the proximity of fishing activity, including pair-trawling, is often judged on a case by case basis and is dependent on local fishing patterns and behaviours. In addition to this there are also specific restrictions in place which limit pair-trawling in English waters. For instance, there is a prohibition on certain types of pair-trawling within 12 nautical miles of the South West of England, and the Eastern IFCA operates a byelaw that prohibits trawling from 0-3 nautical miles throughout most of the district.