Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure a comprehensive analysis of unintentional pathways of introduction and spread to meet the UK’s obligations under Article 13 of EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on invasive alien species.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK is in the process of completing its comprehensive pathway analysis. Rather than basing this simply on the unintentional pathways of introduction and spread of species listed as being of Union concern (the minimum required by the Regulation), the UK has undertaken an extensive assessment of introduction pathways of all established non-native species in Great Britain and their impacts. This will be used, in addition to data on species of Union concern and horizon scanning, to support prioritisation.
Boating and angling have been identified as priorities for Pathway Action Plans (PAPs) given the recent arrivals of several highly invasive aquatic species, including killer shrimp and quagga mussel, and are almost complete. In addition to this, a PAP has been completed for zoos and aquaria and the UK has a long running campaign to reduce the risk of horticultural escapes (although this is not part of a formal PAP). Further PAPs will be prioritised based on the results of the comprehensive analysis.
The Non-Native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) has been established to ensure a rapid flow of non-native species distribution data into a centralised repository to facilitate surveillance for new species as well as the spread of established species. The NNSIP is a partnership that relies on the extensive biological recording networks present in Great Britain as well as citizen recording. In addition, an alert mechanism has been established for urgent recording of priority species, which received around 8,000 alerts in 2018. Early detection is particularly critical to support the UK’s response to the Asian hornet, so a surveillance network of sentinel apiaries is being used to monitor for the arrival of this species.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which pathways of unintentional introduction and spread other than boating and angling have been prioritised for Pathway Action Plans as a result of the pathway analysis under Article 13 of EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on invasive alien species.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK is in the process of completing its comprehensive pathway analysis. Rather than basing this simply on the unintentional pathways of introduction and spread of species listed as being of Union concern (the minimum required by the Regulation), the UK has undertaken an extensive assessment of introduction pathways of all established non-native species in Great Britain and their impacts. This will be used, in addition to data on species of Union concern and horizon scanning, to support prioritisation.
Boating and angling have been identified as priorities for Pathway Action Plans (PAPs) given the recent arrivals of several highly invasive aquatic species, including killer shrimp and quagga mussel, and are almost complete. In addition to this, a PAP has been completed for zoos and aquaria and the UK has a long running campaign to reduce the risk of horticultural escapes (although this is not part of a formal PAP). Further PAPs will be prioritised based on the results of the comprehensive analysis.
The Non-Native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) has been established to ensure a rapid flow of non-native species distribution data into a centralised repository to facilitate surveillance for new species as well as the spread of established species. The NNSIP is a partnership that relies on the extensive biological recording networks present in Great Britain as well as citizen recording. In addition, an alert mechanism has been established for urgent recording of priority species, which received around 8,000 alerts in 2018. Early detection is particularly critical to support the UK’s response to the Asian hornet, so a surveillance network of sentinel apiaries is being used to monitor for the arrival of this species.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to establish a surveillance system of invasive alien species of Union concern to minimise or prevent the introduction of those species under Article 14 of EU Regulation No 1143/2014 on invasive alien species.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The UK is in the process of completing its comprehensive pathway analysis. Rather than basing this simply on the unintentional pathways of introduction and spread of species listed as being of Union concern (the minimum required by the Regulation), the UK has undertaken an extensive assessment of introduction pathways of all established non-native species in Great Britain and their impacts. This will be used, in addition to data on species of Union concern and horizon scanning, to support prioritisation.
Boating and angling have been identified as priorities for Pathway Action Plans (PAPs) given the recent arrivals of several highly invasive aquatic species, including killer shrimp and quagga mussel, and are almost complete. In addition to this, a PAP has been completed for zoos and aquaria and the UK has a long running campaign to reduce the risk of horticultural escapes (although this is not part of a formal PAP). Further PAPs will be prioritised based on the results of the comprehensive analysis.
The Non-Native Species Information Portal (NNSIP) has been established to ensure a rapid flow of non-native species distribution data into a centralised repository to facilitate surveillance for new species as well as the spread of established species. The NNSIP is a partnership that relies on the extensive biological recording networks present in Great Britain as well as citizen recording. In addition, an alert mechanism has been established for urgent recording of priority species, which received around 8,000 alerts in 2018. Early detection is particularly critical to support the UK’s response to the Asian hornet, so a surveillance network of sentinel apiaries is being used to monitor for the arrival of this species.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
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.
Answered by George Eustice
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.
Asked by: Tim Loughton (Conservative - East Worthing and Shoreham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the value of recreational sea angling to the Sussex economy.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has not estimated the value of recreational sea angling to the Sussex economy.
However, Defra’s ‘Sea Angling 2012’ research found that sea anglers resident in England spent £1.23 billion on the sport (it is not possible to provide robust figures by county).
Asked by: David Drew (Labour (Co-op) - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has put in place to ensure that the reintroduction of otters does not lead to a serious deterioration in fish stocks.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Otters are now present in each county in England and there have been no reintroductions since the 1990s.
There is little evidence to suggest that otters have a major impact on fish populations in rivers as a whole, though localised impacts in rivers could occur where otters have not previously been present for some time.
We recognise that in some instances otters can adversely affect those who keep ornamental fish, and can damage an individual’s business and affect angling in some still water fisheries. As a result there is provision through the Angling Improvement Fund, administered by the Angling Trust on the Environment Agency’s behalf, to help deliver improvements including projects to protect fisheries from predation. Further information can be found on the Angling Trust’s website at: www.anglingtrust.net
Asked by: Mark Menzies (Independent - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Environment Agency is taking to prevent illegal angling in Lancashire.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Environment Agency’s Fisheries Operations Team uses an intelligence based approach as part of its enforcement plan to target fisheries for rod-licence enforcement. They target waters which have known high evasion rates and busy waters where lots of anglers will see officers enforcing rod-licence compliance. 1,535 rod-licences have been checked this year in Lancashire and 56 anglers have been reported for offences. The detected evasion rate is 3.52%.
Officers regularly meet with the Police to discuss rod-licence and other fisheries offences, as well as providing training for their officers. They also work with the Angling Trust Voluntary Bailiffs to target rod-licence evasion and other fisheries offences, through provision of information to us. This year the Environment Agency worked in partnership with the Angling Trust and Lancashire and Cumbria Police on Operation Clampdown which targeted illegal close season fishing.
The Environment Agency also checks for byelaw compliance to ensure that other elements are correct, such as fishing methods and close seasons. This year they were pleased to find only two offences during the coarse fish close season from 23 patrols undertaken.
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with which organisations within the recreational fishing sector on which dates Ministers of his Department have had meetings since the 2017 General Election.
Answered by George Eustice
Departments routinely publish details of Ministers meetings' which contain the names of external organisations.
The data is available here and the next set will be published in due course:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministers-hospitality-gifts-meetings-overseas-travel.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) protect the habitat of salmon and (b) increase the salmon population in the waters of the UK.
Answered by George Eustice
Policy on the conservation of salmon is devolved and a range of actions are being taken to protect salmon habitat and conserve salmon stock levels by the UK Fisheries Administrations.
The Environment Agency together with salmon conservation, angling and governmental partners has developed the Salmon Five Point Approach to deliver a better future for salmon. This is looking at opportunities to address the major issues which affect salmon across their whole life cycle, including protecting and improving salmon habitats.
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimates he has made of the costs to the recreational bass fishery of recent conservation measures affecting sea anglers.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has not conducted any specific surveys of the economic value of the recreational bass fishery over the last ten years. The Defra ‘Sea Angling 2012’ research project found that, in 2012, sea anglers resident in England spent £1.23 billion on the sport. It is not possible robustly to separate out figures specifically for recreational bass fishing.
Bass conservation measures have been introduced by the EU in response to advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea on the very poor state of the stock. Alongside a significant reduction in commercial landings, these measures are aimed at reducing mortality while the stock recovers, in order to secure the long term future of bass fisheries. The EU measures from 2015 onwards were also applied to the recreational sector as scientific advice in 2014 indicated on the basis of earlier angling surveys that up to 25% of total bass removals were estimated at that time to be accounted for by bass anglers.
A specific cost estimate of the effects of the EU bass recovery measures on the recreational sector by limiting retention of catch by anglers has not been conducted. Arriving at a reliable assessment, particularly given that catch and release activity has not been restricted, would be challenging. There would need to be a wide range of factors covered in such an evaluation, including the reduced availability of bass while stocks are recovering, and the need to take into account the longer term costs of failing to apply sufficient bass recovery measures across all fishing sectors. This places the emphasis on ensuring recovery measures are in place that will restore the value of bass fisheries across all fishing sectors.