asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what forecasts he has received about the future of herring and white fish stocks if the fishing limits around Scotland are not extended.

Forecasts of fish stocks round Scotland are made both by my own scientists and by international organisations. These indicate the importance of containing or reducing the total catch of many species. In the light of the extended migratory patterns of fish, control cannot, however, as a rule be exercised solely by extending fishing limits.