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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of industrial gill netting on fish stocks in British waters.

No assessment has been made of these impacts. The activities of fishing vessels operating in English waters, including industrial gill netters, are monitored by the Marine Management Organisation. Where evidence indicates that fishing activity is having an adverse impact on fish stocks, appropriate management measures can be introduced, including through fishing vessel licence conditions or byelaws.