Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle unlawful fishing in the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands.

As a self-governing UK Overseas Territory, the Falkland Islands Government is responsible for managing the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Falkland Islands, including managing fisheries in a way that maintains healthy fish stocks. The Falkland Islands Government operates a Fisheries Protection Vessel - the FPV Lilibet - to prevent illegal fishing in their territorial waters and the Falkland Islands Government Air Service conducts regular aerial patrols of the EEZ. HMG officials have a good working relationship with the Falkland Islands Government on issues of mutual interest, including the fishing occurring in its national waters and the international waters near its EEZ.