asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he has plans to commission future research into the declining numbers of salmon returning to Scottish rivers in general and the River Tweed in particular.

Extensive research into the factors affecting levels of juvenile salmon production and returning adults is already carried out by the staff of the freshwater fisheries laboratory of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland. I understand that the Tweed Foundation has commissioned a survey of the salmon and trout stocks of the Tweed basin from the department of forestry and natural resources of the University of Edinburgh and that a report will be published shortly.