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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has his Department made of the effect of commercial fishing regulations on the tourism fishing sector.

No assessment has been made by the Department of the effect of commercial fishing regulations on the tourism fishing sector.

Defra has funded studies on participation rates, catches, and the economic and social benefits of sea angling, which are focussed on resident rather than tourist sea anglers.

The largest study, Sea Angling 2012, can be found at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20140305101647/http://www.marinemanagement.org.uk/seaangling/finalreport.htm.