MORECAMBE BAY DEATHS

That this House recognises that 5 February 2009 was the fifth anniversary of the Morecambe Bay tragedy, which claimed the lives of 23 Chinese cockle pickers on the Bay; expresses concern that the Crown Estate is currently withholding consent for Fisheries Orders, including one for Morecambe Bay; accepts that Fisheries Orders are an essential tool for the management of shellfish fisheries like Morecambe Bay; believes that Fisheries Orders provide an assurance that the fisheries are exploited safely; and calls on the Crown Estate to drop its opposition to new Fisheries Orders before any further tragedy occurs and for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to include provisions in the Marine Bill to remove the right of the Crown Estate to veto Fisheries Orders.