Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of industrial fisheries on the (a) penguin and (b) whale populations around South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) manages a highly regulated fishery, in accordance with its Marine Protected Area legislation. Only vessels which fully meet requirements of both the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and strict GSGSSI licensing requirements are able to conduct fishing activities. Scientific observers are deployed on every fishing vessel, and there are seasonal and spatial controls to ensure the fishery does not impact on the conservation of all animals living around these islands.