To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures were proposed at the most recent EU Fisheries Council to reduce mesh size; and which countries (a) proposed and (b) supported each such proposal. (248987)

The only such proposal we were aware of concerned a French request to permit the exploitation of a sustainable gill net fishery in the waters to the west of Ireland, by somewhat relaxing the existing static gear restrictions in the area. This was ultimately agreed by all member states, on the grounds that the fishery was sustainable and it would not have any impact on the deep sea stocks the restrictions were intended to protect.