asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of the herring catch by the Scottish vessels in 1971.

The value of herring landed in Scotland by British vessels in 1971 was £4,429,588.

Is my hon. Friend aware that that is a tremendous result, which reflects great credit on our fishermen as well as on my hon. Friend for his support of them? As we now have the most important herring fisheries in Europe, has my hon. Friend any further proposals for conservation as well as for protection?

I am grateful for what my hon. Friend says. The 1971 catch was a record for the Scottish fleet in terms of value. I pay tribute to the efforts of our fishermen. We shall continue our consultations on conservation measures with the other nations that fish in the North Sea, and we are continuing in 1972 the 10-week ban that we tried out in 1971.