Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent over-fishing in the South Georgia seas.

The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI) manages fisheries with the Territory's Maritime Zone to the highest international standards.The South Georgia toothfish fishery is assessed by the Marine Stewardship Council to be among the most sustainable fisheries in the world.

The UK ensures that SGSSI fisheries legislation and management practices are in line with our obligations to the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). We work through the CCAMLR Commission to agree sustainable and scientific-based fishery catch limits for the SSGSI Martime Zone, and cooperates with other CCAMLR Members to address issues relating to unreported, unregulated and illegal fishing activities across the Southern Ocean.