건 Yochwyn. 1— gelecek 5— is a debate on motion No 14956, by the name of Anne McTaggart on the National Gallaries of Scotland bill. I difficult all members is wish to speak in that debate, please press the request to speak buttons now, or as soon as possible and I call on Anne McTaggart to speak to and move the motion on behalf of the National Gallaries of Scotland bill committee, Ms McTaggart you have six minutes thereby please. Thank you president, I am pleased a'i gweithio i gyddweithio gyda'r glas o grifaint pan ddim yn fwy o'r dramwyll ynglyn ëThe National Galleriesí a'r adnod iaith a'r Devil's villain a'r adnod iaith a'r committee a'r adnod iaith yn fawr i ddiogeldiad hawdd a'i ddiogeldiad a'r adnod iaith. A'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'rchi gyda'r gwybod этиgwyd a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith a'r adnod iaith staff hundw'r adeiladau i gyfleidio i ddweud i chi ond gallu dechreu i'r ddysgu adeiladau ymy ces Obsvaeth, ond wrth gŵr i ddweud hynny mae'n gweithio ar gyfer ar hynna'n ei ffordd ein bydd y cwmwysteon y Cymysgfaith ym Mhysgfaith ym Mhysgfaith ym Yn Meir, ffiown ym Mhysgfaith a gennymau'r argyffredigau mwy fathain i'r rhagorau gymdeithio. Yr wasglaeth ei anhygoff i gael ddweud yn ymgredigau, oedd fan hyn i gael iddyn nhw'n cyfleidwyr o ni, o bobl gerosu iawn, o bob gwaith, o brod, o bapwyr cystafoli ar gyfer y Gweinidol yn ymddangos. Mae ysgol yn y peth, yr ymddangos ar gyfer, a mae'r ymddangos yma yn yr ddiweddol cyfnodol, yr ysgol yn argyffredinol yr ymddiad. Mae'r argyffredinol ar gyfer y cyfnodol gan gyda gynig o'r bynnag eu cyfliadau a chyrdwyr yma yn ddiweddod o meith gan gyfer y bynnag. The bill's purpose is to facilitate the building of an extension to the Scottish National Gallery building into a small area of land that currently forms part of Princess Street Gardens. The bill has two aims. The first is to change the status of the land, which is common good land, so as to enable the City of Edinburgh Council to dispose of it to the National Galleries of Scotland without the need for court approval. The second aim is to remove the land from the gardens, thus removing the statutory restriction on the construction of permanent buildings on the land. The extension is required by the promoter of the bill, the board of trustees of the National Galleries of Scotland, who wish to expand and improve the design of the gallery in order to house the Scottish Art Collection in a more appropriate and accessible location. The project, Celebrating Scotland's Art, plans to expand the Scottish Wing into Princess Street Gardens to provide an additional 500 square metres of space in which the Scottish Art Collection will be exhibited. The project has also included a plan to renew the landscaped public pathway and the terrace at the garden level, aimed at improving access between the gallery, the gardens, Princess Street, the playfriar steps and the old town. As Andy Warhol has said, I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anyone could ever want to own. The area of land in question is a small sloping embankment currently used as an area of landscaping, hence the reduction of open space in the gardens will be minimal. The promoter put forward the case that the loss of the land will be compensated by landscaping improvements to the gardens and easier access to an improved cultural facility. The committee was pleased to hear of the on-going strong working relationship between the gallery and the various departments of the council. Michael Clark, the director of the Scottish National Gallery, explained to the committee that the reason the extension is so essential is that, at the moment, the space within the current Scottish National Gallery building is being used for permanent collections or exhibitions, and therefore options to re-house the Scottish Art Collection are limited. We also heard that, at present, less than 20 per cent of the visitors to the gallery actually get down to where the Scottish Collection is situated. This is a great pity, given that the collection houses pieces of art by celebrated Scottish artists such as Sir Henry Rayburn, Sir David Wilkie and Peter Graham. That project would create three times the amount of space that it currently devotes to the Scottish Collection and will also greatly improve the circulation throughout the building. In conclusion, the committee supports the aims of the promoter to improve access to the Scottish Art Collection. It believes that the improvements both to the gallery space and the surrounding area will enable Scotland's art collection to be enjoyed more widely. The committee therefore recommends to the Parliament that the general principles of the National Gallery of Scotland bill be agreed and that the bill should proceed as a private bill. Therefore, I move the motion that the Parliament agrees to the general principles of the National Gallery of Scotland bill and agrees that it should proceed as a private bill. Many thanks. I now call on Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary of Six Minutes, or thereby, please. I want to start by thanking Am Taggart, convener of the National Gallery of Scotland bill committee for her opening comments and for the work that she and other members of the committee, Fiona McLeod and Jean Urquhart, have carried out in examining this private bill. I am pleased to be given the opportunity to speak in this debate not only to outline my support for the bill but to emphasise the impact of the National Galleries of Scotland as a national and international institution of which we should be extremely proud. Under the chairmanship of Amson and the leadership of director-general Sir John Layton, the National Galleries has developed into an ambitious and forward-thinking organisation. It is one of the leading art galleries in the UK and Europe and looks after one of the world's finest collections of western art, ranging from the middle ages to the present day, including, of course, the national collection of Scottish art. In the last 10 years, the visitor numbers to the National Galleries are outstanding 30 per cent. 2014 was a year of record attendance with almost two million visitors. That confirms the National Galleries of Scotland's status as one of Scotland's major visitor attractions and consolidates Scotland's capital as one of the top international cities for visual culture. In recent years, the National Galleries has established a truly national presence and the collection is shared widely all over this country. Artists' games, the collection of modern art owned and operated by the National Galleries in partnership with The Tate, has attracted 39 million visitors to 77 partners in the UK since 2009 and has brought world-class art to new audiences right across Scotland from Dumfries to Shetland. In 2014, in connection with the Commonwealth Games, the National Galleries was the initiator and key partner with Glasgow Life and Creative Scotland in Generation, a project celebrating 25 years of contemporary art in Scotland. The 60 exhibitions of over 100 artists across Scotland attracted a total of 1.3 million visitors. Objects from the National Galleries are shown all over the world as ambassadors for our art and heritage. A tour of masterpieces from the galleries in America attracted large crowds in New York, San Francisco and Fort Worth and the galleries are currently exhibiting art from Scotland to greater claim in Sydney, Australia. The National Galleries' intention is to continue to use this ambitious programme of major exhibitions of Scottish and international art to attract audiences and more diverse audiences and raise its national and international profile. It is estimated that in 2015 there will be some 21 exhibitions and displays across all of the National Galleries sites and 300 education events, lectures, tours, workshops and outreach initiatives in Scotland. This gallery plans to redevelop the mound complex to enhance the exhibition of its Scottish collection, continue that ambition and drive for success. As you will be aware from the remarks of the convener, this bill is a necessary step to allow the transfer of land to the galleries and to allow the development at the mound to take place. In order to achieve that, the gallery needs to move its existing boundary wall to incorporate a five-metre wide strip of what is currently common good land. That is the subject of the current private bill. The promoters make the case that this modest intervention would enhance the space available for the Scottish collections and allow the introduction of daylight into the new galleries. The five-metre strip of land that would be lost by moving the boundary would be regained at the upper level, allowing for a widening of the footpath leading to the play first steps and most welcome widening of a popular pedestrian thoroughfare that quickly becomes a bottleneck during busy periods. Under the gallery's plan, sympathetic landscaping will ensure that those interventions are effectively integrated into the world heritage setting in Princess Street gardens, while access to this part of the gardens will be significantly enhanced. The refurbishment of the Scottish National Gallery, the flagship of our national collections, will triple the gallery's space available to show Scotland's national school, presenting not just the great historical figures but 20th century art, including the Scottish colourists. Under the plans, full use will be made of digital technology to make our national collection available to the widest possible public. The project aims to show Scottish art in a much more prominent way in architecturally distinguished spaces with spectacular views across the city. The newly refurbished galleries will attract an estimated additional 400,000 visitors and 770,000 digital audience interactions every year. The gallery has a track record of delivery, outstanding development and refurbishment projects. Any of the members who can recall how the National Portrait Gallery looked prior to its refurbishment and who have visited since it was reopened by the former First Minister on 1 December 2011 will be aware of the fabulous impact that that transformative project had and the many benefits it has delivered for visitors to the gallery. The project will have the same level of transformative effect opening up the gallery's Scottish collections for the public. A forward-thinking national gallery of Scotland seems to continue delivering an international class visitor experience is a real benefit to Scotland. When complete, the project will allow the galleries to show what might be described as the crown jewels of Scottish art in the high-quality setting that these collections deserve and to promote Scotland's greatest art with pride to audiences from all over the world. For that reason, Presiding Officer, I am pleased to support the committee's recommendation to agree the Bill's general principles and that the Bill should proceed. Many thanks. I now call on Clare Baker. Four minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to contribute to this short debate this afternoon. I would like to thank the committee members for their work, though it does appear to be remarkably straightforward for this Parliament. With no objections to the proposal, it is a matter of law and process and I have confidence that MSPs are taking forward the necessary progress for the realisation of the project. Of course, if the bill is passed, there is still a planning commission process to be sought. As a first-year student at Edinburgh University, I studied art history and I lived in Patrick Gettys halls, which overlooks the national galleries. I was fortunate to study in Edinburgh with the national galleries there on my doorstep and spent much time there at tutorials. It is our national collection and holds an impressive collection of Renaissance paintings and work up to the 1900s. In the early days of this Parliament, there was a successful campaign to buy Botticelli's The Virgin adoring the Sleeping Christ child and the response to that campaign demonstrates the commitment that people have to the success of the gallery. It is also a city gallery situated in the heart of Edinburgh and frequently used by people who live, work and study here. It is an impressive collection for a small country, not least its Turner collection, which will soon be on display. It is also home to the Skating Minister, which provided inspiration for the design of this building. As the cabinet secretary said, visitor numbers at the gallery have been growing with a 39 per cent increase, taking up to 129 million visitors at the latest figures. Visitor numbers at all our museums and galleries have been growing strongly and they are an important part of our tourist economy, as well as a rich resource for our country. This development gives the gallery an opportunity to provide permanent access to more of its collection. The gallery hosts the world's largest collection of Scottish art, including works by David Wilkie, Alan Ramsey, William MacTaggart, James Guthrie and Henry Raban. I am conscious that all of those are men and I would very much like to welcome the modern Scottish women exhibition that is on just now at the National Gallery. It covers a period where an unprecedented number of Scottish women were being trained and practising as artists. It is a special exhibition, but it is one that includes an entrance fee. I hope that the extension in gallery space will allow a greater opportunity to display the work of women artists under the free entrance scheme. The extension of gallery space would allow greater exposure of the collection of Scottish artists by tripling the available space. It will include more 20th century Scottish art, including the work of the colourists. It is right that the National Gallery explores ways in which to give greater access to Scottish art. There is high quality, significant work that could be enjoyed and studied by more people than is possible at present. It is also argued that additional space will give more opportunities for conservation and research. This is the second time the National Gallery has extended its footprint. The play fair project was completed in 2004 and it improved the entrance and environment of the gallery, which is one of Edinburgh and Scotland's key attractions. The land is common good land, as well as being subject to a statutory restriction that prohibits developing permanent buildings in the gardens. There are good reasons for that, and there must almost be caution when the status of common good land has changed. Princess Street gardens are integral to Edinburgh and they need to be protected. There is a planning process, but the proposed developments do appear to me to be sensitive. There is a case for improving landscaping around the gallery and providing more connectivity between Princess Street and the new town, the Royal Mile and the old town. The current access is not ideal. The play fair steps are not for everyone. Today is not about that debate, however. It is about enabling that debate to take place. I am pleased to recognise the progress of the committee and wish them well in their future work. I thank the committee and the Conservatives' support for the principles of the bill. Claire Baker has just mentioned that, 12 years ago, this Parliament passed the National Galleries Scotland Act, which sought to supply the effect of section 22 of the City of Edinburgh's District Council Order Confirmation Act 1991, to a piece of land within Edinburgh's principles. I thank the committee and the Conservatives for that confirmation act 1991 to a piece of land within Edinburgh's Princess Street gardens. At that time, it was for the play fair project. It was a huge undertaking by the National Galleries of Scotland, which transformed their presence on the mound by integrating the magnificent National Gallery and the renovated Royal Scottish Academy building. The success is plain for all to see in terms of the way that that project has enhanced the rich arts culture in the capital city for exactly the reasons that the secretary set out earlier. Although I was not an MSP at that time, I very much remember those developments, so it is a pleasure for me to speak in this debate on account of the fact that the National Galleries of Scotland are lodging another private bill, which I believe shows their commitment to continuing art and culture and education in Scotland, and I think that it demonstrates their ambitions to expand their collections to make it a gallery fit for the modern capital city for many years to come. The project has a number of very impressive benefits, not least the fact that it will triple the size of the current gallery. I think that when giving evidence to the committee, I thought that it was very interesting that Michael Clark mentioned that similar projects undertaken by galleries in other cities around the world, such as the 45 million refit in the Tate in London he mentioned, the renovations to the American art galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in London, and, of course, the magnificent Musée d'Orsay in Paris. It is very fitting that another international city such as Edinburgh should enjoy similar galleries for our national art. If the expansion also leads to a greater number of visitors and the cabinet secretary again said just the impressive progress that has been made, then obviously there is huge financial benefit to the economy and that can bolster the ability to preserve and enhance not only the collections but the galleries and all that they stand for for future generations. Of course, the project has also the additional benefits of ensuring that there is much better access, including disabled access to the gardens and improving the landscape for that area. Given the relatively tight timetable for this project to start in 2017 and be completed by the autumn of 2018, and the fact that the consultation between the national galleries and the city of Edinburgh council has been on-going for a considerable length of time, it is right that this bill encompasses all the relevant changes to ensure that the project can proceed as quickly as possible. I think that seeking a court order to make that change for the common good status is absolutely right. Again, can I restate the Conservatives' support for that? Moreover, I understand why both the national galleries and the city of Edinburgh council explained why they were hesitant to attempt to amend the 1991 act, given that this could have the unintended consequences of allowing further building works in the gardens, so it is very important to balance the relevant merits of this project with a desire to keep the gardens as a valuable green space within the city centre. To conclude, I congratulate the national galleries and indeed the Edinburgh city council for working together on what is a very significant project that will advance Scottish art in a way that perhaps was unimaginable some decades ago. I thank the committee and the cabinet secretary for her enthusiasm to ensure that future generations will be very proud of in years to come. I now move to closing speeches and I call on... I beg your pardon. I now call on Jean Urquhart. Forgive me, Ms Urquhart. Four minutes please. Forgive you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I was really pleased to be part of the committee with Anne McTaggart and Fiona McLeod. My interest was aroused because of the words common good land and national galleries of Scotland. I hear all the wonderful things that have been said about the content of our national gallery. There has however been long criticism for a long number of years by artists and others who always felt that going in the front door of a national gallery in the capital city of any country not to see or for the national art of that country not to be immediate. The obvious has been a shame on us, really, because we do and, as others have said, have highlighted really the wonderful works of art that you had to plough down two stairs into a basement to see. So just to be quite gannagraphic about that, I do think that this development will make an enormous difference and so it should. I think that it is a coming of age for our own collection of Scottish artists that they should be seen and also I hope they will be seen because the same gallery will still be there with a different entrance. I am hopeful that there will be, not that we see collections in the same rooms but actually start to use the national gallery with a far more emphasis on the fact of where you can find the Scottish painters. 20 per cent of people are not making their way to that particular gallery when they go into the national gallery is something not to be proud of. There are many bonuses from this bill and, as has already been mentioned, the very small part of Princess Street Gardens that will become part of the National Gallery of Scotland seems to me common good to common good. That is great but there are some other benefits and one of them I think is not only the play fair steps which are in need of renovation for sure and disabled access which I understand we will have and a realignment of some of the grass so that I think the whole area around that part of the gallery will look quite spectacular. Finally, Presiding Officer, there is in that place a memorial to the extraordinary role that Scots played in the Spanish Civil War and it has always been tucked away rather than the artwork that Scotland's art collection has been tucked away in the basement of our national gallery for too long. It is not a huge memorial but the memorial to the Spanish Civil War and those who went from Scotland to fight in it will be given more prominence and shown to a better example in the new layout of the grounds. I do not think that there has been anyone who has objected to this move of common good to common good of public land becoming part of the national galleries and I certainly look forward to seeing the work when it is complete and seeing Scotland's artists and indeed those who went to the Spanish Civil War and play fair himself the steps all being renovated and renewed for Scotland's interest. Thank you. Thank you very much. We now move the second time of asking to the closing speech from Fiona McLeod on behalf of the committee a generous three minutes. Thank you Presiding Officer. In closing this debate, I thank all the members who have taken part in highlighting the exciting opportunities that the bill presents for the National Gallery of Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary and others for highlighting the importance of the Scottish collection and how it will give us the ability to present it to the public in a much more dramatic and pleasing fashion. I now have to go on to a lot of technicalities in closing this debate because a preliminary stage debate, as the convener mentioned in her opening remarks, the committee has to look at whether there is a need for a private bill. We have to satisfy ourselves on the necessity for a private bill and that is what I wish to cover here to have on the record. There were three areas that the committee explored when looking at the necessity for a private bill. We were looking at the necessity to revoke inalienable status of this small part of Princess Street gardens. We were also looking at the prohibition of permanent buildings outwith two schedules in the gardens. We also looked at whether amending the 2003 act, which was for the playfair project that Clare Baker mentioned, would have been a suitable vehicle to achieve what the promoters were looking for. If I turn to revoking inalienable status, we took a lot of evidence and carefully examined and questioned those witnesses. On that, the promoter chose a bill over going to court, which is the other way of moving from inalienable to alienable status. He decided to do that among other reasons and one that was compelling for us was to allow for a single, shall we call it, an authorisation process for this project. That allowed it to tie with the second area that I wish to talk about, which is the 1991 City of Edinburgh District Council Order Confirmation Act. That is the act that limits what can be built and what can't be built within Princess Street gardens. At the moment, the two schedules to that act would not allow a museum or gallery extension to be built. The reason that the promoters and the council gave for not going in and amending that 1991 act was, as Liz Smith said, if you do that, it opens that act up to a lot more amendment and therefore opens the gardens up to, in the future, possible more development. That is not what this bill wanted to achieve. Finally, the 2003 act of this Parliament, also called the National Galeries of Scotland Act, which was to facilitate the playfair project, we said that we could not go and amend that act instead of bringing another act before Parliament. That did not cover the inalienable to alienable status of that piece of land in the gardens. At the time, in 2003, it was dealt with through the court process, but in this instance, going back to my first comments, in order to bring all those together in one single process which was open and transparent to the public, our committee heard that evidence and are in agreement that this needs to be a private bill and therefore should proceed. That concludes the preliminary stage debate on the National Galeries of Scotland Bill. It is now time to move on to the next item of business, which is the annual debate on motion number 15031 in the name of Richard Lochhead on sea fisheries and end-year negotiations. I invite members who wish to speak in the debate to please press the request-to-speak buttons now or as soon as possible. Cabinet Secretary, if you are ready, now call on you to speak to and move the motion. You have 13 minutes or thereby there is a little time in hand should you wish longer. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. This year of all years feels like a particularly pivotal moment as we debate the annual fishing negotiations. At the end of the year, it is always useful to reflect in the past year to look ahead to future opportunities and the challenges. At the end of this year, in particular, as the next phase of the discard ban commences, we stand in the brink of what could be a generational change for the fishing industry in Scotland. We know it is said that the only thing that is constant is change, and that is certainly true of the regulatory frameworks within which fishing and marine management takes place. What has not changed, however, is the hard-wired significance of fishing to our country. Individual livelihoods and the very social fabric of many coastal communities depend on the industry in all its different varied forms. As the year of food and drink reaches its conclusion, it is fitting that we celebrate the international success story of Scotland's seafood sector, a sector that is the cornerstone of the wider food sector's incredible success with all witnessed over the last few years in particular. From shellfish to whitefish to macro, Scotland's fishermen or seafood businesses are playing a leading role in strengthening our reputation as a producer of world-class food and drink, making Scottish seafood a prize product across the whole of the world. The opportunities are there. FishNOW accounts for almost 17 per cent of the world population's protein intake, with per capita consumption of fish doubling from 10 kilograms in the 1960s to more than 19 today. Recently, published statistics underline the economic importance of fishing to Scotland with landings valued up by nearly a fifth last year, and revenues now worth over half a billion pounds. As a nutritious, self-replenishing resource, seafood is a key element of food security now and into the future. Scotland is very blessed to have such a rich fishery right on its own doorstep. Our seas are the fourth-largest of coral European waters and make up over 60 per cent of the UK's waters. Around four tonnes of fish on average are taken from each square nautical mile of Scottish waters compared to around one ton of fish per square nautical mile on average throughout the EU waters. All of that underlines the importance of our role as custodians of what is a very precious resource. We are borrowing that resource from our children and from their children. Therefore, we have a moral duty to manage it very carefully and responsibly. That is of course why this year's negotiations are so important and the good news is that they look promising. The scientific advice for our fish stocks, particularly our white fish stocks, paint a very positive picture. Deputy Presiding Officer, of Scotland's top 15 white fish stocks, we can expect increases in no less than 10. That is great news and something that we really should celebrate. Of course, we have to take a moment to give credit to the Scottish fishing industry for the transformation in our fisheries, particularly the transformation in North Sea cod. This stock, as we all know very well, used to be the altar in which the fishing industry's fortunes were sacrificed, but how far we have come. As I reflect in my time as fisheries minister, and I've had the privilege of being in this post since 2007, I can recall that back then we were struggling with the old common fisheries policy, and cod stocks were rock bottom. We had to endure big reductions in quota and cuts to days at sea under the cod recovery plan. Despite that, the fleets redoubled their efforts to help cod stocks recover. They worked with government to implement a system of real-time closures at sea that protected the growing stock, and they fished with more selective gears and bigger mesh to allow more juvenile fish to escape and reproduce, and we developed new innovative schemes, such as the conservation credit scheme, where we awarded more time at sea in return for avoiding cod. All that hard work, commitment and creativity by our fishermen working with government has now produced dramatic results. North Sea cod is now over three times the size of the stock than it was in 2006. That is reflected in the highest advised catch by the scientists since 2002, now almost 50,000 tonnes. That is a truly momentous shift, and it is astonishing to think that North Sea cod is now on a journey towards marine stewardship council accreditation, something unthinkable less than a decade ago. Given the positive developments, it is ironic that at this year's council we may sadly once again have to spend energy fighting the provisions of the dysfunctional cod recovery plan, which is still in place. When we achieved the freeze in days at sea cuts in 2012, the Commission of the European Parliament objected to the freeze itself, not so much to the freeze itself, but to the procedure that the council used to achieve that. Earlier this week the European Court of Justice ruled against the council and annulled 2012 regulation that gave effect to that effort freeze. However, that is in the background, and we must not allow ourselves in this Parliament to worry excessively about institutional wrangles between the institutions in Brussels. We have to focus on our national interest and the continuing success of our fishing communities. Wrangles in Brussels also, as he well knows, they sure do matter. He will be aware that next week there are crucial talks in Copenhagen about access to mackerel involving the fair oes. Is he in a position to outline what his position is on that to Parliament this afternoon, given how important that is to the Scottish and Shetland pelagic fleets? Well, it will certainly be the case because Travis Scott quite really highlights the importance of these talks that we will be ensuring that in terms of access and quota shares that Scotland gets at a fair and just deal. At the same time, we have to take into account the implications for Scotland's whitefish sector who benefit from those talks as well as the other sectors. In terms of the core recovery plan, which I was just referring to, it is, however, good news that, although it is still in place and dysfunctional, that member states now accept that it should be repealed and, indeed, even the European Commission itself now accepts that it should be repealed and I call on the commission to bring forward such a proposal as soon as possible. In the meantime, I can assure Parliament that the Scottish Government will not implement any proposals for further cuts in days at sea. However, many other Norsea whitefish stocks are showing similarly encouraging trends with healthy increases for haddock, monkfish and migrum. In the west, rockall haddock and nephrops are also enjoying increased catch advice for 2016. Again, there are challenges in some of this year's science as well, including more difficult advice for Norsea nephrops, the prawns, whiting and safe. In the west, the fortunes of cod and whiting remain stubbornly intractable. However, we see some welcome increases in pelagic stocks, including Norsea herring and Sprats, Atlantoscandian herring and Western horse mackerel as well. For others... David McGregor. Just to the point of western herring, can you tell me the position at the moment on the EU-Norway talks with regard to the herring? I am happy to update the member on that afterwards because clearly there are a number of issues that are interactive. That will be up for negotiations in those talks. However, it is the case that western herring is a particularly challenge this year with zero catches being recommended. Therefore, as you can imagine, we have discussed that issue with the industry and are keeping a very close eye on it. Even for mackerel and blue whiting where the advice is also less positive than perhaps last year or two, the mackerel advice remains the third highest since 2002. Of course none of this science advice has yet been translated into actual quota for 2016. Those are now what are being negotiated. I met with the Scottish industry last week to understand their priorities and make sure that we are getting our positions correct as we go into those talks. The EU-Norway talks began in Copenhagen a couple of weeks ago and should conclude tomorrow in Bergen. As usual, those are crucial for Scotland accounting for more than 50 per cent of all our quota stock fishing opportunities. If all the scientific advice is followed at this year's negotiations, we anticipate that for whitefish around about £95 million worth of quota will derive from EU-Norway talks compared to around £3 million from the December's council. The EU-Norway talks set quota for some of our most important Norsea stocks whose management is shared with Norway, including cod, haddock, whiting, saith and herring. It also establishes mutual access arrangements and a range of quota swaps in each other's waters that we can use to address some of the challenges that we face. As we have just discussed, the next week does see the start of the EU-Norway talks where we will negotiate a terms of agreement that provides quota and access opportunities worth around £2 million in Faroes waters for our whitefish fleet alone as well as a refuge for many of our whitefish vessels from the restrictions of the cod recovery zone. The week after is the final push at the negotiations in Brussels. This year's talks are more complicated than usual because, for the first time ever, we are agreeing extra quota to account for fish previously discarded. That will apply to all stocks, including the discard ban next year. Those are over and above the increases that I have already mentioned. Those extra increases in terms of the quota uplifts from the discard ban will help the fleet to adapt to times ahead. I very much understand the challenges that we face to implement the discard bans but there is no doubt that this will be in the medium to longer term a very positive development for the industry. The wasteful practice of throwing perfectly good fish back into the sea dead makes no sense to anyone and benefits no one. In 2005 it was estimated that 7.3 million tonnes of fish was discarded globally. The equivalent of 8 per cent of all catches. Based on the average per capita fish consumption in Scotland, the total amount of fish discarded in 2014 could feed an extra 2 million people. That is equivalent to the population of Selenia, for instance, to give one example. If we are serious about managing our natural resources and conserving fish stocks and playing a meaningful role in improving global food security, the discard ban is a no-brainer. The pelagic discard ban has now been in place for almost a year with no significant issues. I do not doubt for a second that the commercial ban, the white fish ban that is being phased in from 1 January will be much more complex given the highly complex and mixed fisheries that we have in their waters with over 15 quota species swimming together. I know that the Scottish fishermen are concerned about how that will all be delivered and about the impact on their businesses and let me assure you that the challenge, although big, can be met if we all work together. There are many areas where we are pursuing a partnership approach for the Government's working closer with the industry. That is proving beneficial. Most important, of course, we listened to the industry and worked hard with them through the regionalisation process to avoid a big bang approach in 2016 and are instead phasing in the discard bans in a pragmatic and proportionate way over the next few years. The arrangements for 2016 are a sensible pragmatic starting point. Saying that, we know there is still a lot of work to do. From now until 2019, when all the bans will be in place, there will be a process of evolution and it is really vital that we build on the experience of this year and next year to get the latter years that will be even more challenging right. We will continue to be in regular contact with the skippers, the onshore sector and everyone else. We will have to adopt more selectivity, spatial measures, smarter use of a quota and changing how businesses operate as well. We know a one-size-fits-all approach will not succeed and we have to be very carefully approached this. We have a discard steering group up and running and they are doing a lot of good work. We will also ensure that the European Maritime Fisheries Fund will be available to support some measures that have to be adopted as well and we will continue to work with other EU member states to resolve any particular difficulties that arise over the next few years, particularly in relation to choke species where in the mixed fishery there may be insufficient quota to cover catches of certain species, leaving our vessels unable to catch the other quota species. We recognise that fishermen alone can't fix that and it's going to require all countries working together. There's no point in one country having unfished quota if another country has to stay in port because of the discard bans. There's a lot to go on with but, as I said at the beginning of my speech, this is a pivotal year for Scotland's fishing communities and our fishing industry. We have the potential for a massive double benefit for Scotland's fishermen. We have rising quotas and an incredible number of our vital quotas are going to experience substantial increases for 2016. At the same time there will be a reduction in discarding of healthy fish in our waters at the same time and that will lead to additional benefits for fisheries conservation and leave more fish in the sea to breed for future generations. I'm proud to represent Scotland's fishermen and will ensure that Scotland's priorities are at the forefront of the minds of future parts at the forthcoming negotiations and that we will work tirelessly in pursuit of their best interests. Thank you. I now call on Claudia Beamish to speak to you and move amendment 15031.3. Ms Beamish, you have nine minutes or thereby please. Thank you Presiding Officer and I move the amendment to my name. I'm pleased to be speaking in the sea fisheries and end of year negotiations debate for the fourth year, as the Cabinet Secretary. I want to thank the Cabinet Secretary for the detailed and comprehensive account of the range of species and also the details of the forward-looking to the negotiations. I want also to say that we are able to support the Scottish Government motion today and also the Tory motion. We would like to have supported the Lib Dem amendment but unfortunately just due to one small word which is substantially in relation to quota uplift instead of sustainably we are forced to abstain on that. At this time of the Paris climate summit it is a grave concern that the world's oceans are not being discussed and I would like to just take a step back from the negotiations themselves and highlight some concerns in relation to this. Here in Scotland we are in some ways ahead in focusing on marine climate change with the national marine plan and its pilot regionalisation and the body of work done across the sectors. As members may be aware in the report on policy and proposals the first one there was a box for peatlands and now there is substantial information about Scotland's commitments for peatlands. In the RPP2 there was a box for blue carbon and referenced carbon sinks and the progression is encouraging. In RPP2, 3 I hope there will be a substantial amount on marine carbon sinks and I hope for reassurance from the cabinet secretary on some of that today in his closing remarks. The twin concerns and the monitoring addressing of the effects of climate change and the opportunities we are increasingly learning about are absolutely vital for the future and we must make future commitments here in Scotland. I want to draw some close focus on marine climate change issues from two perspectives changing fish stocks and fishing practices. Research into the migratory pattern of the bluefin tuner have been done by blue planet society marine conservation and I quote the extent of bluefin distribution is limited by temperature despite their advanced thermal regulatory capacity. There has been increased sightings off Ireland and Scotland for the last four years and one of the possible causes being explored is the warming ocean climate allowing tuner to exploit previously waters that were too cold previously. Although the research is in its initial stages I also heard recently from Claire Navanne of Bloom Association and Pete Ritchie of the charity Nourish who shared some challenging research with me. It is a great relief that some of the fishing practices are practised in other parts of the world and indeed in some European waters do not take place in Scottish waters and one of those is deep sea bottom trawling. Research by Bloom has shown that deep water marine life has a long lifespan late life sexual reproductivity limited plant life for feeding and slow re-population thus is vulnerable to extinction from overfishing. Destruction can be discreet but it is less obvious than the closer inshore reefs that we have around Scotland. British deep water fish sequestered one to two million tonnes of carbon each year and while this research is in its initial stages I still want to draw it to the attention of the chamber. Can I seek reassurance from the cabinet secretary today that this practice is not happening around our Scottish waters which I understand to be the case? The evidence shown of the importance of incrementally building a research base into marine ecosystems is fundamental and I would also like to ask the cabinet secretary today if funding is secure for marine Scotland and if we assure that auditing of a future skills base for what is needed is there as well and are the links with academic research which is so robust strongly bonded and nurtured by the Scottish Government. The examples of evidence of the damage caused by deep sea bottom and the fishing and the tentative findings of the changes in migratory patterns of bluefin tuna show the need for collaborations and funding and as all of us taking part in this debate today are keenly aware fish do not know the boundaries of territorial waters. The stark reality of the film End of the Line which some members may know and the repercussions of overfishing on the species globally are certainly not lost to anyone. Yes, I will briefly. Thank the member for taking the intervention. That's five minutes now we are in a contribution to the debate and I have not heard anything about the Scottish fishing industry and the end of your negotiations yet. As I made quite clear at the beginning of my speech I intend to move to that and I'm actually dealing with the context in which we all have to operate globally and I'm quite surprised that the member feels it's necessary to intervene on that basis. International collaborations are essential as well. Building on this can the cabinet secretary clarify if the Scottish Government is at present contributing to any international forum or regional forums on climate change working with different countries either as the Scottish Government or as part of the UK. What would he agree today to investigate the possibilities of taking this imperative forward? Scottish Labour is clear that sustainable development is key to ensuring Scottish waters are healthy waters. Through the fusing of economic and social and environmental we can contribute the best possible outcomes for now and for the future. The challenges this approach posed do not have simple answers as the cabinet secretary has stressed. We are moving towards a future positive at all levels and a determination to work together. Turning to the socio-economic issues the everyday challenges faced by the fishing industry are of course manifold on the sea and rapidly changing weathers health and safety issues keeping accounts and taking forward planning decisions like any other business often living in fragile coastal communities there is an additional complexity to the structures of our communities and what underpins these transport services, broadband access and broader infrastructure issues. There are also pressures on the processing industry and the threat to job security not least because of the changing pattern of catches. The development of the landing obligation as the cabinet secretary says is essential and as the motion and amendments reflect today. I understand that the European Maritime Fisheries Fund is intended to have a broader scope than in past arrangements and that Marine Scotland has said that it is to have a greater focus than before on measures which can support the management and protection of the marine environment. This is essential. I also welcome the landing obligation and its gradual implementation. It is a significant step in the enhancement and preservation of our seas as a sustainable and bountiful resource. Scottish fishermen must be commended and thanked for their dedicated efforts to enacting to the discard ban so far through the last year. As we approach the next phase in, the challenges are undeniable and I wish the cabinet secretary every success in the negotiations for maximising sustainable catching opportunity as hoped for by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation. My colleague Graham Pearson will discuss implementation and monitoring further but I do call on the Scottish Government to commit to an evaluation of a cost-effective approach to monitoring and enforcement. I thank the Scottish Whitefish Association and the Scottish Whitefish Association for their ready information and guidance. The industry, environmentalists and foodies alike were rejoiced as cod stocks hit the highest catch level recommended for 15 years. Although I did listen with concern to what the cabinet secretary was saying about the cod recovery plan and the complications of that at the moment. Other species, as he says, show a mixed picture. In our amendment we highlighted the need to support the implementation of the landing obligation. Can the cabinet minister explain specifically how the EMFF will aid a smooth transition for those communities which need this most in this complex development and further how widely will the fund and application process be promoted and advertised? Finally and importantly the cabinet secretary touched briefly on the issue of regionalisation. I wonder if he might in his closing remarks say a little bit more about this because in previous years this has been a point of large discussion in the debate and it would be helpful to hear somewhat of an update on that as well. Thank you. Thank you so much. I now call on Julian McGregor to speak during move amendment 15031.1. Mr McGregor thank you very much. Deputy Presiding Officer I thank all the organisations for their briefings in advance of today and I'm pleased that many of the key fish stocks which are important to Scotland's fishermen are in good health. Indeed there must be very few of us even a couple of years back would have believed that experts are now saying that within a decade we will have MSC certified North Sea cod. But let me be clear that the recovery in cod and other let me be clear that the recovery in cod and other fish stocks is down to the sacrifices of Scottish fishermen who have done more for conservation measures in the last 10 years than any other fishing fleet in the whole of Europe. On a personal note I've been a fishery spokesman more often than not during four parliaments and my recognition and respect for the calibre of the Scottish fishermen who face great dangers in bringing much needed protein to the tables of our people has done nothing but increase and I shall misrepresenting them as much as anything else I have done. But while there's some good news I want to run through the many issues and difficulties currently facing our Scottish fishermen. The phased introduction of the discard ban in the demersal sector from the 1st of January next year with the full ban to be in place by 2019 is a truly massive challenge. Last week at a briefing in this parliament Mike Park of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association described it as an approaching storm with the potential to go very badly wrong especially midpoint in the transition period. Ross Dougal who I saw today at the European Committee of the Scottish Fishermen's Federation described it as a potential economic disaster for the Scottish fleet and subsequently the onshore processing sector industry. The problems of choked species that means the point where an individual vessel runs out of its lowest quota in the mix and has to stop fishing altogether and how the landing obligation copes with species with a zero total allowable catch are still ready to be addressed. All industry stakeholders agree that a quota uplift is crucial to allowing demersal fishermen to manage the move towards a discard ban. We believe that this in itself will simply not be enough and the Scottish Government needs to give the industry more support to meet the landing obligation especially in small ports where there are no processing facilities nearby. My colleague Ian Duncan MEP has been at the forefront of arguing this case making the point that even at this late stage funding should be made available especially to our smaller and remote ports such as Maleg to help with the adaption of what will be a transformation in the way demersal fishermen go about their business and the additional burdens of disposing of fish once it is shore side including the storage and the transportation of the fish that cannot be sold. I think that £107 million in the EU maritime fund may be some of that could be used for that. I am also calling on the Scottish Government to do everything in its power to ensure that there is a level playing field across all demersal fleets fishing in the EU waters in terms of compliance and monitoring. I am pleased that WWF Scotland in their briefing for today make that point as well. It would be unacceptable if our demersal fishermen were subject to extra monitoring controls or other fleets were not. Our fishermen must not be placed at a competitive disadvantage to anybody else. In the pelagic sector that's herrings and mackerel I support Scotland's mackerel fishermen and processes who want to see a reduction in the current access arrangements for faroes fishermen catching mackerel in Scottish waters. A recently published report by Seafish has found that these current arrangements are heavily skewed in favour of the faroes and Scottish pelagic fishermen and processes rightly want to see a more equitable agreement between the EU and the faroes. Our processing sector is under real pressure due to the fact that the current arrangement is to catch over £40 million worth of very high quality mackerel in Scottish waters which is being sold into the same market as the mackerel from our own processes. Certainly, yes. I know there's I thank Jamie MacGregor for giving way and I realise there's some heated debate around this issue but will he accept that faroes access to Scottish waters was reduced from 42 per cent in 2010 to 30 per cent in 2015 and it's really important that we don't selectively quote different figures. Jamie MacGregor? I suspect that that is the truth but if you think of what they caught before 2005 it's a huge impact on our industry now. Another key issue for the pelagic sector is the IC's advice for a zero TAC for western herring. The pelagic advisory council has proposed positive initial plans to rebuild this stock and improve the quality of the scientific data on it but to do this they need a quota to be able to progress the scientific programme. This is a hugely important issue for pelagic fishermen and I hope the cabinet secretary will push for this at the December council. Before closing I must again voice my support for the west coast fishermen continuing to campaign to propose MPAs on the west coast or some of the effects of what they might be. The fishermen are clear that they are not opposed to MPAs in principle but the current proposals which do not reflect agreements they believe they reached in consultations are disproportionate and go beyond the protection of specific marine features which MPAs are designed to safeguard. I remain concerned at the potential impact of MPAs on the livelihoods of individual west coast fishermen and the processes who depend on their catch. There are real safety issues here for example in relation to the MPAs in the small isles of Westeros where we still have mobile nephrops trawlers, small ones and we are cutting off areas that have hitherto been fished could lead to fishermen having to work in more dangerous waters or increasing pressure on other grounds or eventually just tying up their boats altogether and none of these options is attractive. I continue to urge the cabinet secretary to take on board the fishermen's concerns many fragile communities up and down the west coast are dependent on these local fishing jobs and income. I move the amendment in my name. I now call on Tavish Scott to speak to and move amendment 15031.2. Mr Scott, six minutes or thereby please. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. If this is Jamie McGregor's last speech in Parliament on fisheries we will all miss that. Jamie will certainly remember the sketches that Rob McNeill then the Scotsman used to write about fisheries debates going right back to the early days and John Scott will remember those as well and Mr McGregor used to be called Mr Prawn if I remember rightly by in those sketches which was an outrageous slur on his character but he's been a doubty fighter for the industry over the years to whoever has been taking the cabinet secretary's seat for annual debates. There are a couple of broad questions that I'd like to just address this afternoon, Presiding Officer. The first is around just the importance of fishing to fishing communities, to the islands, to the west coast as we've just heard to the northeast, to the cabinet secretary's own part of Scotland. Not just the boats themselves, the skippers, the men but the shoreside businesses which sometimes don't get the same airing, the six support, the men and women who run haulage businesses across Scotland, all of whom contribute to the wider economic impact and therefore social impact of an enormously important Scottish industry. There are these kind of debates when occasionally it's right to ask and do the powers that be get that do the powers that be in Europe absolutely understand that point. The asset test of this and I see it in certainly a view I share is how any country any country will implement the discard ban. Get it wrong and countries who have a white fish industry at this time will not have one in the future. Angus MacDonald organised a really good meeting last week and I'm grateful to him for that and Mike Park has already been mentioned said at that parliamentary discussion that the discard ban regulations drawn up by the European Commission were the worst piece of law ever written in Brussels. We'll probably come up with a few others to be honest over the years and Mr Locke had rightly raised the called recovery plan that's a pretty appalling piece of drafting as well but no matter it was a serious point and it's a concern that's mirrored by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation the Shetland Fishermen's Association and any skipper or fisherman that you care to meet and that certainly and I do believe it's important that we reflect on the industry concerns on that. Stuart Stevenson The member referenced the Scottish Fishermen's Federation's concern is he aware of any briefing from the SFF? I've as yet had zero contact on the subject from the SFF and I know that other colleagues are in exactly the same position I would use the opportunity to urge them to engage with members which clearly they're currently not doing. All I can really say to Mr Stevenson is that I went and met the Shetland Fishermen's Association and I would assume a member like Stuart Stevenson who's very familiar with the industry indeed being a former minister quite capable of running along to their office in Aberdeen and meeting them so it's up to him how he engages with the industry I certainly don't have any problems on that front myself and would regularly speak to Bertie Armstrong who I think does an admirable job representing fishermen right across the country. What is important about fishing management is that it should not be an ideological crusade it either works or it does not and as other members have already pointed out indeed the minister rightly pointed out as well for European policy to stop any fish being thrown over the side of a vessel has to work in a practical sense. That can work where there is no by-catch mackerel and herring shore so they will be caught without other species of Scotland's North Sea and West Coast white fish fishery is that boats catch more than one species at one time many more so can an EUI discard work in a mixed white fish fishery and that is why my amendment highlights importance not just of 2016 but the next three years in terms of the implementation being right the interpretation of these regulations must be sensitive, appropriate and it must work the industry has highlighted, the cabinet secretary rightly recognised this, the danger of choke species but if government get that interpretation wrong then ministers will face the unenviable task of having the fleet tied up because the lack of just one species in a mixed fishery that is the reality of the discard ban not the rhetoric, not the wonderful language about how wonderful it all might be but the reality of what that could then mean at the EU December council quotas for the stocks affected in 2016 principally haddock and prawns must be large enough to cope with that discard ban, that's why my motion uses the word substantially and I can't see why anyone would be against that, indeed the cabinet secretary will probably in his wind up rightly point to the increases that are going to be for a number of those species which are very large indeed and that is helpful, so there we are that's the reality of it but the other point that I want to reflect with the cabinet secretary is that Shetland's fleet and they will not be alone will only catch two thirds of this year's haddock quota, they are worried as I know that the Scottish buyers and processes are across the country by a glut on the market and therefore a collapse in price and that is as usual the dichotomy that that market faces Scotland cannot and Mr McGregor made this point rightly Scotland cannot and must not get ahead of itself on implementing this discard ban, no other EU fishing nation will be doing that, fishermen from the Baltic to the Mediterranean are as worried as our fishermen as to how this is going to work in practice so the minister might to say that a discard ban must be implemented consistently across EU waters and that too with enforcement and compliance I certainly bow to Graham Pearson's knowledge about enforcement and compliance but I hope he'd take the point that again we cannot have the circumstances where our boats are enforced in one way and yet our fishermen then see a Spanish trawler, a French or a Dutch trawler steaming by and not seeing the same level of enforcement or indeed compliance the outrage felt by fishermen our fishermen over the actions of the fairways pelagic fleet in Scottish waters or indeed Spanish gill netters a matter I've raised with the cabinet secretary and I'm grateful for his responses Spanish gill netters and their aggressive behaviour west of Shetland should be warning enough so in between 2016 and 19 this must be a period where the discard ban is fair, seem to be fair and fairly monitored the omens as the minister says is indeed positive for Christmas and that is good news for all and I strongly welcome that but next week's negotiations in Copenhagen on access to Mackerel quarter are important to the industry Ian Gatt said today from the pelagic industry said today that they are looking to demand an urgent rethink of the political deal which allows failure to catch a third of its quarter, Mackerel quarter that's 40,000 tonnes in EU waters and I'm grateful to the minister for recognising that point and being prepared to make that case he's right, of course he's right that our whitefish industry benefits from some counterbalance to that but that is a small part of it not many boats from Lerwick steaming up to fairways waters to access that but they see fairways whitefish and indeed pelagic boats in our Scottish waters so that must be the balance that I'm sure he and his officials will be seeking to get to that point the first is on investment in fisheries science I appreciate the minister is very strong on the need for stock deficient species to have the right kind of scientific support and I hope he wins the internal funding battles that no doubt are going on on the spending review to ensure that fisheries science is maintained and the final point is to ensure that in his quarter consultation which is on going at this time the government make the right decisions conscious of the unknown consequences of the discard ban and how important it is for the Scottish whitefish industry to have flexibility, certainty and crucially banking confidence in the decisions they make over quarter swaps, quarter leasing and quarter purchase and I would suggest to the cabinet secretary that he might wish to be pretty cautious of any change in this area that would be damaging to our industry at this time of incredible uncertainty caused by the introduction of the European discard ban these are important matters we wish him well and we all hope that he comes back with a deal that will help the Scottish industry in 2016 thank you very much we now turn to the open debate speeches of six minutes please Angus MacDonald to be followed by Graham Pearson thank you it's that time of year again where we get that deja vu feeling and we're back once more at the fishing negotiations debate every year the UK fisheries negotiations at the EU are watched closely by fishermen around the country as policy develops to ensure that they govern their livelihood sweeping regulations such as the landing obligation and the tax quotas are handed down from Brussels to our Scottish shores where they directly affect the business of our Scottish vessels and fishermen with the knock-on effects to our processing and haulage sectors however as we've heard from the cabinet secretary already this afternoon there's a much more positive outlook this year not least the large increase in cod stocks and the forthcoming rising quotas Scotland's relationship with the European Commission's department of maritime affairs and fisheries has of course been complex over the years however the healthy relationship which reflects Scotland's prominent role in North Sea and North Atlantic fisheries is welcome just last month the commission rightly sympathised with British and Irish fishermen in abandoning a proposal to adopt a blanket drift net ban the ban which was an attempt to address abusive large scale practices in the Mediterranean would have jeopardised the livelihood of thousands of small scale fishermen in Scotland and around the UK where drift net fishing is practised responsibly on a seasonal basis by instead opting for regional regulation the commission allowed for greater flexibility and can appropriately address issues that are unique to different fisheries and environments this is an approach that should be extended to other areas of their policy the European Commission's landing obligation which began this year with pelagic fisheries and as we know will be faced in all tack species by 2019 is one example of a blanket policy that has had negative ramifications beyond the immediate good the policy intended the discards ban will ban all fishermen in EU waters from discarding any or all other catch when it's fully implemented by 2019 and an attempt to remedy the shortcomings of the tack quota system which perversely incentivised fishermen to discard species the European Commission has now enacted another policy with its own set of adverse consequences just last week I was delighted to host and chair a WWF briefing on implementing the discards ban in Scotland which I was pleased the cabinet secretary was able to attend which touched on the well-intentioned motivations for the ban to curb wasteful practices as well as the adverse consequences associated with its implementation the total allowable catch quota system was rightly guided in its motivation to ensure the sustainability of our fisheries however in an effort to comply with the legislation fishermen discarded catches that violated the quota and discarding occurred for a variety of reasons that were all aware of the central issue is that the commission did not address these motivations for discarding rather they treated the symptom i.e. discarding instead of the core issues that are caused by the commission's own tack quota policy however we are where we are and the Scottish Government along with Marine Scotland has produced guidance for fishermen on disposing of undersized catches which will now have to be landed as well as managing quota and effort under the landing obligation the tack quota when coupled with the discards ban leave fishermen in a difficult scenario as they try to meet the obligations presented by both policies and in particular the emergence of choke species will inhibit fishermen to meet their quotas on certain species while avoiding exceeding their quota on others and a Scottish fisherman operate in a mixed fishery where multiple species of fish overlap in a single area the issue of bi-catch arises as fishermen seek one species but may also trap another in their catch unintentionally the North Sea advisory council itself reported that choke species may have a strong negative effect upon fishing businesses potentially large quantities of quota could remain uncaught and choke species pose a threat to the economic viability of fishing businesses even using various policy instruments such as quota uplift, de minimis discard inter-species flexibility and survivability exemptions it will be difficult to mitigate the negative effects on revenue that unfilled quotas will have but clearly will have to wait and see the other problem posed by the landing obligation is ensuring compliance and enforcement traditional methods of enforcement are limited in that they only deter non-compliance while they are in the vicinity of the vessel which encompasses a small percentage of the vessel's fishing effort or they rely on self-reporting a recent WWF report asserted that remote control monitoring coupled with close circuit TV would be the most efficient means of monitoring compliance this REM system with CCTV would provide a continuous monitoring presence and high quality evidence in addition to being economically viable when compared with traditional methods however it would be unfair to subject Scottish fishermen to this intense level of monitoring and further boats from other nations were not subject to the same measures as Tavish Scots already alluded to so in the interest of a level playing field which is an issue that Mike Park brought up last week monitoring and enforcement legislation must be as universal as a discard ban that necessitated these laws Scottish fishermen should be commended though on their proactive approach to reducing discards and pursuing sustainability as many have adopted more selective gear to reduce by-catch and strategies such as special management and seasonal closures to ensure sustainable stocks Finally, as always time is running out finally I would like to wish the Cabinet Secretary and Scottish Government officials well in their upcoming negotiations in Brussels the recommendations from the ICES which has proposed increases to many of Scotland's key stocks are encouraging and expect other nations present at the negotiations to share the viewpoint that sustainable fisheries are desirable in accordance with the scientific recommendations So as Scotland lands 80 per cent of fish caught in British waters and Europe's longest-serving fisheries minister is our very own Richard Lochhead it's my hope that Westminster sees the good logic in allowing Scotland to lead the UK voice in the upcoming negotiations as opposed to the totally unacceptable situation we saw last year when the unelected Lord Rupert Poincinby Seventh Baron de Molly represented the UK Government on a crucial discussion on the issue of fish discards I wish the Cabinet Secretary and his officials well many thanks and now Colin Grahame Pearson to be followed by a question I'll add Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer First of all, can I say that it's pleasing to hear of the many positive developments commented on by the Cabinet Secretary in relation to this area of activity Second, in reply to Stewart Stevenson's observations about Scottish Fishermen's Federation I have to say as an obvious in this area myself I made contact with the Berte Armstrong who is currently in Bergen representing the Scottish Fishermen's Federation and he was very generous to me in terms of the advice and briefing that he gave me in these past days in relation to our current debate The Cabinet Secretary indicated in his introduction that the fishing industry is worth around £500 million per annum to the Scottish economy In addition, in a region of 5,000 people rely on the industry for their employment The fishing fields around Scotland are acknowledged as amongst the best in the world and the fish caught in those fields are recognised as both healthy and tasty in their provision and thereby creating a demand for the future Catches from our seas are devoured by people from across Europe and indeed further afield So Tavish Scots' points are well made in terms of the industry's import to not only the communities that he represents but also to the entire population of Scotland This debate therefore provides an opportunity for Parliament to feed into the discussions regarding the future development of a vitally important element to Scotland's national interest It is also an opportunity to thank all those who are involved in the fishing industry but particularly to those who risk their lives to provide the very fish that we eat The new options for policy we debate today seem to me by implication to acknowledge two vital issues One, the comprehensive difficulties that the Cabinet Secretary and others face in balancing the competing needs that have been expressed across the chamber this afternoon And second, probably the most important element The development of operational guidance on the basis of the regulations which emanate from the common fisheries policies that are agreed will necessarily rely on the goodwill of everyone who operates in this area the goodwill of those in the industry across Scotland I am grateful for the various briefings that are received before today's debate particularly from WWF and my conversations with the Federation Speaking to Bertie Armstrong it's apparent that Scottish fishermen and it is exclusively men who operate in the seas from Scottish harbours currently it's clear that those men want to ensure that their industry maintains good health and contributes to the environmental wellbeing of our seas Enforcment of the regulations emanating from the common fisheries policy particular relation to discards and catches will be the responsibility of Marine Scotland to ensure compliance and whilst I am advised that additional resources would always be welcomed by any department Marine Scotland are highly thought of across the industry Additionally, the introduction of technical surveillance that has been mentioned is a vital part of monitoring the way in which catches are achieved across our seas However, it would be the wrong step to deliver the overburdening of our fleets with surveillance where they are economically disadvantaged in competition with other fleets across Europe Therefore, Europe must ensure that the approach is a standard approach across Europe and fishing fleets from every nation respect and reflect the efforts that have been made in the name of Europe Where the efforts of those involved in the industry fail we will see the development of illegal practices such as unfortunately the recent black fish scandals that resulted in criminal prosecutions being mounted or alternatively our fleets being disadvantaged as they try to maintain their respect for the regulations that are put in place Hence, our efforts to get things both right and to get them practical are important and behind that the essential co-operation of all those involved both from the point of view of environmental protection and the industry itself is absolutely kernel to taking things forward Others in this chamber have a more direct involvement in these issues and have spoken with some wisdom in respect of the specific needs that arise when protecting the environment Scotland's voice, I am advised plays an influential part in the development of European common fisheries policy We have the inshore fisheries group the inshore fisheries management and conservation group fisheries management and conservation group and the Scottish discard steering group All of these groups feed in with the knowledge of what is required for the future I can only hope that the cabinet secretary will continue to listen to the advice from across this industry and that he reflects that knowledge to ensure that Scotland not only maintains an economically viable industry but protects our environment for children in the future I'm obliged Thank you, Presiding Officer Let me start by reminding the chamber that I've worked 30 years in the Scottish fishing industry before to start a new career this one one with a lot less challenges and a lot less dangers that I hope we can all agree on I'm honored to represent the many fishing communities in the North East since May 2013 I do feel that we in this chamber do not always be credit or as much credit as we could to an industry that has served Scotland for so long Let's take an example we heard today and for many weeks about the desperate state of our steel industry at risk between the communities of Motherwell and Thomas Lang You know, we heard a lot about this iconic industry which is the steel industry I still have to hear any contribution this afternoon saying that the fishing industry is an iconic industry for Scotland and if you talk about job at risk there are more than 600 jobs at risk across only one small community in the North East in Fraser butter Two years ago in the government annual sea fisheries and end year negotiations debate I made a call for more common sense and flexibility when dealing with the discards of spare dogs Last year I made a similar call to address the problem of closures of the skates and rare fisheries in the North East and west of Scotland There is going to be a lot more bycatch landing of the species next year I know the cabinet secretary has worked hard to make a specialisation of bycatch the last few years Can I ask him to redubble his effort in making sure that this fantastic food is not wasted any longer Presenting officer, food waste is our next biggest challenge Let's start here Let's not wait for some TV chef to ask consumers to choose imported food instead of our locally produced seafood And as this year we are celebrating the increase of many of Scotland's key stocks including North Sea Cod which is at the highest level in the decade Mind you, skippers knew this for the decade It took us a long time and we chambered to acknowledge the fact there are many more fish in our seas thanks to the hard work of our fishermen the resilience of our fish processes and the actions of this cabinet secretary the most experienced fishing minister in the EU This is why this miscommission was very clear when it said that Scottish government representation of the UK to the European Union can be achieved by presuming that the devil of administration minister can speak on behalf of the UK at a meeting of the council of ministers according to an agreed UK negotiation line where the devil of administration minister holds the predominant policy interest across the UK and where the relevant lead UK government minister is enabled to attend all or part of a meeting No more laws representing the Scottish fishing industry presenting officer I would wait before to celebrate Time will tell if the voice of the most experienced fishing minister in Europe can be discarded and replaced by an unelected Lord with no previous experience whatsoever in fishing It must always be the case that the most appropriate person takes the chair and speaks because the future is bright for the industry 2016 will prove a milestone for Scottish fishing with the launch of the ban on discards for white fish and prawn stocks. The discard ban is indeed a no-brainer cabin accessory It is a challenge in our waters with mixed fisheries and it's also a fantastic opportunity for fishermen and fish processors to increase Scottish fish share of the seafood market both at home and abroad. Presiding officer, I agree with the cabin accessory we must focus all our efforts as a continuing success of our Scottish fishing communities I did not receive a briefing like Stuart Stevens and said for this debate from many organisations that I usually get one I did get one last year from the Scottish Pedagic Processes Association but I met Jan Gat and Jan McFadden a few weeks ago and I congratulated them for the way the pedagic sector fishermen and processors worked to tackle successfully the discard ban which was in force earlier this January and the Russian food embargo The SFF, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation must be delighted with our work Cabinet Secretary because I didn't get any briefing and all some of us said they asked for one and they got one. I'm not in a habit to disturb Mr Bertie Armstrong when he's on his way to travel the world. I just thought that the SFF was the amount of funding that they have which is a lot of NGOs funding could just send the briefing to everybody it will be such easier and it makes life a lot easier for themselves so it may be a proposal but we could take to Bertie Armstrong and Ros De Gaulle. The WWF has provided one of their briefing they always do but I won't talk about it I will, usually I will let Labour to talk about WWF but I've seen that Jamie McGregor was really to be the voice of the WWF today so I will let that to the tourists to talk about them and I share this Cabinet Secretary's frustration that the UK Government has denied Scotland's say over the seafood levy raising powers of sea fish thus far. He's right this was one of the key recommendations of the Smith's commission the UK Government must reconsider. Food devolution of seafood levies has to happen now and if it doesn't happen seafood may be of no future in Scotland in this Parliament I am delighted by the devolution of future powers committee made this point in the report in May the committee added also that it's important that Scotland has the ability to introduce any recognised made in Scotland label this label is a very important label I had something about the haulage industry from a couple of members Davish Scott and Arangis Mcdonald and I would like to remind the Cabinet Secretary the problem in Calais and I will urge the Cabinet Secretary on his way to Brussels maybe to stop in Calais and give support to our haulage drivers there who get stuck from time to time in conclusion I would like to make a call to the public gallery and over the cross-cotland we must put all pressure on our retailers to put Scottish fish on their shelves like never before a food waste is on the engine for the UK media in 2016 let's welcome the ending of this card and it must be an opportunity to commercialise at Omanobroad this extra landing particularly the landing of Bite Cash Pitch Buy and Eat Scottish Fish is my message to consumers ask customers to put Scottish fish on the menu president officer I must ask members to keep to six minutes or just over I don't have an awful lot of time in hand Margaret McDougall to be followed by Margaret McDougall As I always do at the start of debates on our fishing industry I'd like to pay tribute to all of Scotland's fishermen who risk their lives on a daily basis braving the conditions of the sea to bring us high quality fresh fish but the seas are not the only challenges our fishermen face recently there's been the struggling economic climate and the need to find new and emerging markets due to the Russian trade sanctions in 2013 Russia took 18 per cent of the UK total mackerel export market however since those sanctions Nigeria has now become the biggest export market taking 20 per cent of the UK mackerel market in 2014 and there's also been significant growth in markets in both Netherlands and China so I'm delighted to see that despite tough times Norway has managed to adapt and survive While I'm on the topic of the mackerel and having raised it in previous debates on fishing I'm happy to hear that the mackerel dispute which was about the overfishing of mackerel stock by Iceland and the feros and led to a proposed decrease in the total allowable catch for Scottish fishermen has finally been resolved talks between the EU Norway and the feros islands reached a solution 15 per cent reduction in mackerel quotas in practice this means the total allowable catch in 2016 will be 10 per cent higher than five years ago this is good news as mackerel is still Scotland's most valuable fish and is expected to be worth £130 million in 2016 Higher quotas for mackerel and other fish stocks are clearly good news for our fishing industry however we must ensure we strike the right balance between ensuring economic growth within the sector and promoting sustainability developing sustainable fisheries is essential not only to the future of the Scottish fishing industry but also to protect our fragile fishing and coastal communities and the wider seafood sector and the protection of our seas creating a fully sustainable fishing industry is no easy task but we are making progress currently just over 50 per cent of North Sea fishing stock is being sustainably managed however in my area the west of Scotland progress has not been so healthy because there has been overfishing of small fish this is disappointing as the west of Scotland used to be one of Scotland's most productive fishing areas so it's clear that while some progress is being made we still have a long way to go this could be tackled by achieving effective implementation of the discard ban fishing at sustainable levels and helping to deliver a good environmental status while retaining a profitable and sustainable fishing industry quotas and the discard card ban which I just mentioned due to be phased in from 2016 will go some way to help however before the ban is brought in it suggests that the Scottish Government listens to the calls from WWF who are asking that all parties develop a strategy for the implementation and cost effective monitoring of the discard ban in Scotland we need more hard data on our fishing industry and we should ensure that proper monitoring is introduced not only for discard but for quotas as well I'm happy to take a short intervention I thank you very much for taking a short intervention it's just about WWF I just pointed out to them last week what will be a planning feed will be for them to make sure they are worldwide organisation that they'll push other fisheries in other countries to have the same kind of restriction that we have in Scotland I absolutely agree that this has got to be Europe wide if we get the discard ban right WWF estimate that it could event 25,000 tonnes of fish being thrown back into the sea in Scotland alone however, if we don't get it right it will just carry additional risks creating further problems for Scottish fishermen while some Scottish vessels have adopted selective measures in order to minimise unwanted catches many still haven't been able to do so with this in mind does the Scottish Government envisage the new European maritime and fisheries fund being sufficient to support the transition where needed I'm also curious to know whether the Scottish Government has carried out any assessments into the use of remote electronic monitoring to the monitor of disregard WWF's research indicated that this would be the easiest and most cost-effective way to monitor discards gather data and promote best practice however, for it to be fully effective as many have mentioned earlier in the chamber it would have to be adopted across the EU rather than just Scotland or indeed UK effective monitoring and better data collection will allow us to take an informed scientific approach and also increase the openness and transparency of our industry however to be able to adopt those decisions we need to consider spending more on marine research funding on research is vital to support our sustainable goals whether this be through marine Scotland non-governmental organisations or indeed working with Scottish fishermen in addition to this further research will allow our sector to be more adaptable and flexible allowing it to act better to the changing environment to conclude deputy Presiding Officer I welcome the progress that this has made so far I am pleased that the mackerel dispute has finally been resolved that quotas are increasing due to good management and that we have managed to break into new and emerging markets beyond this we need to get better at monitoring and data collection and ensure Scottish fishermen are ready to meet the requirements of the discard band we must keep up the momentum and start planning for the future now to ensure that industry remains profitable, sustainable and mindful of biodiversity Many thanks and I have to ask members to keep to their six minutes please Stuart Stevenson to be followed by Roderick Campbell Thank you very much Presiding Officer I think it's fair to say that our attachment to the fishing industry is in part emotional the occupation of being a fisherman besides its biblical connections is an occupation that is one of the earliest identified occupations that the human race got itself involved in and of course today the fishing industry survives as one of the last hunter-gatherer industries so it speaks to something quite deep and of course that places special obligations, responsibilities duties and difficulties in the way of the successful prosecution of that trade because the stock is much less managed than sheep on a farm cows on a farm crops that are sown and I think our fishermen are absolutely to be commended for the way in which they have risen to the challenge of stock management often in the face of total misunderstandings of science totally ineffective and uninterpretable regulation but nonetheless our fishermen have found a way to rebuild an industry stocks of cod at three times the level they were in the relatively recent past a valuable a valuable stock that's exploited now I just cannot speak in a fisheries debate without referring to the estimable Jamie McGregor when I spoke first in a fishing debate in June 2001 one a single day after I was sworn into this parliament, Jamie was there he was me alone, there were other well no look around the gym maybe it was just him and even though I seldom find myself in the position of agreeing with everything Jamie says I always listen with close attention if only to know what the contrary arguments are and if I may speak directly to Jamie rather than through the chair I say to him on behalf of myself and I suspect many others which will mist you Jamie for your wit, your humour and your engagement in this very important issue I hope your successor is not nearly so successful on the Tory benches as you have been but that's a political comment now it's worth just expanding that point of course the fact that we might be in different political parties people here does not mean we can't make common cause and have friendships and in fact the fisherman who stood against me at the 2011 election for the Conservative cause in Bamshire and Buckingham coast is somebody I get on with extremely well and we have secret assignations under cover of darkness when I managed to get most of the cod because that is absolutely my favourite seafood out of our sea and I'm going to work to keep that relationship going extremely well now we have an issue not just in catching fish and the regimes around that but also in fish consumption basically at the moment it's pretty static we haven't seen much increase in fish consumption despite the fact that our processing and catching industries continue to grow and become a more valuable component of our economy and I think that's an issue to which we have to turn there have been other debates and other places where we have referred to sea fish UK and I think we've got to keep an eye on that the marine protected areas is a subject which when I was a minister was something I was tangentially involved in I have to say for the east coast fishing fishermen it doesn't seem to have been quite the issue that has been for the west coast in the small communities I understand that, I think that I would very much welcome frankly some more targeted and specific information about that now speaking about information I last met Roddy McCall, the secretary of the Fisherman's Association Limited on a train and we had an excellent discussion and I'm very much obliged for the 16 page newsletter that arrived in my inbox this week covering a wide range of subjects I won't pretend I agree with every word that's written in Farl's newsletter but that will not come as news to Farl or Roddy McCall or Tom Hame my constituent or others but I think that there are some very good things in particular drawing attention to the prospect the imminent prospect of our cod stocks being awarded MSC status and I think that's a huge potential step forward and one which will rebuild consumer attitudes to North Sea cod cod caught by our fishermen much of the comment I may say about lack of sustainability has been ill informed and inappropriate so I certainly hope that we see that moving forward in early course now fishing of course doesn't stand alone and in my concluding remarks I just say when we saw shrinkage of the fleet we saw butchers closing in rural Bamshire because they were supplying food to boats and that's replicated across a whole ecology of the economy that's dependent on sea fishing when we stopped dumping sewage at sea we saw reduction in seabird populations I hope when we see reduction in dumping of fish in the sea we're monitoring what happens there and by the way if the SFF want to meet me give me an invitation I'm entirely happy to do so we can kiss and make up any time you like Presiding Officer Thank you very much I'm always a difficult task to follow Stuart Stevenson but I'll do my best I speak in this debate with expectation but also to some extent with some apprehension for 2016 2016 will be an important year for the Scottish fishing industry and all involved are tentatively looking forward to January when the long awaited discard ban for whitefish and shellfish in particular prawns is due to commence fish conservation is a reserve matter to the European Union which does not feature in the UK Government's current renegotiating agenda and we heard this morning at the European External Affairs Committee from Ross Dougal that even if the UK or Scotland were to leave the EU while that might add additional complexity to negotiations in the North Sea it was likely that there would be continued regard to the advice of the international council for the exploration of the seas is a very important body Presiding Officer, there are positives the scientific community are advising that stocks are on the increase and we are fishing revenues that are currently worth over 500 million there is certainly much to celebrate stocks have had a cassette to increase by at least 30% and monk fish are advised to rise by 20% good news indeed in addition the fact of course that there is a mackerel agreement reached in October allowing a total allowable catch and in the discards briefing meeting which was held last week which has been referred to earlier on my feeling was of an increasingly optimistic outlook have a much reference was made at that meeting to the need for a level playing field that is required in order for continued success and the prosperity of our own fleet WWF in their briefing acknowledged that the implementation of the discards ban represents one of the biggest operational shifts in European fisheries and others need new approaches to fisheries management in order to incentivise behaviour that brings social, economic and environmental benefits in order to achieve this innovation will be a key aspect of the approach intelligent measures are required technological electronic means such as sensors appear to be acknowledged as the most effective way in which to ensure quotas are adhered to clearly there is a risk that the discarding could continue illicitly unaccounted for mortality WWF believed that remote electronic monitoring with cameras and sensors are the most effective means of assessing how measures can be monitored and controlled on the water with the added benefit that data can be used for multiple purposes including contributing to and improving confidence in stock assessment or to demonstrate best practice it also provides a tool with which to support all the operators that are working responsibly with integrity but this needs international cooperation the measures that have allowed the success that our own pelagic fleet has achieved in adhering to quotas needs to be exported joint regional agreements are required especially with countries such as Sweden and Germany who currently appear to need convincing of the merits of CCTV on board vessels Mike Park of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association which represents 1200 fishermen reinforced in last week's meeting how hard the Scottish industry has worked to achieve the quotas so far measures such as regional and real-time closures have not been easy for fishermen but have successfully contributed towards producing the desired results we hardly need reminding and indeed the astimnable Jamie McGregor has already reminded us earlier on of how dangerous this occupation or arguably way of life is for those fishermen who brave the elements in the inhospitable North Sea and other waters surrounding our extensive coastline their commitment to the industry should not be taken for granted they have continued through what have been hard times the fleet has endured many years of restrictions on their fishing and praise is due for the self-discipline and determination to persevere that so many of our fishermen have demonstrated and the cabinet secretary has achieved much and I wish him well in the weeks ahead in the fishing talks especially given the frequent reluctance of UK governments to allow him the not unreasonable privilege of representing Scotland at the top table despite Scotland's predominance within the UK fishing fleet it does not seem so long since the cabinet secretary said on the 9th of December last year that he was shadowing his fifth UK fishing minister with the expectation of a six this year sure enough on the 11th of May 2015 his expectation became a reality with the appointment of George Eustace as yet another minister of state for farming food and the marine environment and I welcome the Scottish government's endeavours including the creation of the national marine plan which is allowing an improved framework for management of the competing demands on marine resources that are of such great value to Scotland Presiding Officer, fish is a great part of a healthy diet and for consumers to be able to buy more from local shops or supermarkets where the produced in Scotland label is great for customers Members celebrated the marine conservation society's announcement in September that cod could once again be eaten as an occasional treat following recovery in numbers and having been removed from its red list of endangered fish but we must remind ourselves of the hard work that's been required and that which will need to be continued in order to preserve what has been achieved Presiding Officer, I commend the Scottish fishing industry and all that they have achieved this year, wish them well for next year Cabinet Secretary, every success in the weeks ahead Many thanks and I now call David Stewart to be followed by Rob Gibson Thank you Presiding Officer and apologies to the chamber for missing an earlier part of the debate as I had a meeting with a minister Presiding Officer, this is an important debate as Scotland, as we've heard is a key player amongst the fishing nations in Europe and accounts for around two thirds of the total fish caught in the UK and with a turnover, as we've heard from the Cabinet Secretary, of £514 million and nearly 5,000 fishermen employed on Scottish-based vessels this is a key economic resource for Scotland generally and the Highlands and Islands and the North East specifically The EU end of year negotiations are of course crucial for member states to determine the total allowable catches The rules around fishing opportunities are of course complex as most things to do with Europe are but they have of course been reformed since 2014 under the principle of maximum sustainable yield The big picture is of course a world where we have a global food shortage whilst on our own doorstep we have fresh, affordable and varied food stock for both domestic and crucially our export markets and as this year draws to a close we look to 2016 as a landmark year for the industry as it faces the implementation of the landing obligation or discard ban for white fish and whilst the implementation of the ban will have various positive impacts such as the including increasing conservation of fish stocks and new quota flexibility for fishermen it's essential that the discard ban be implemented effectively efficiently and in a way that avoids the adverse effects on the industry and especially the workforce for us of course to local communities and hardworking fishermen that provide the backbone of this fishing industry and as a long time representative of the hands and islands I'm well aware of the distinctive traditions customs and the close knit communities that the pursuit of fishing has created along the coasts of Scotland Although the majority of the fishing industry now operates from major harbours with large efficient fleets let's not forget about the small coastal communities whose residents have lived with the salt of the sea in their bloods for a generation Over recent years, advances technology and the demands of the EU have left many of those communities in a state of flux For example, the Scottish Whitefish Produce Association have made it clear that they are unhappy with the landing obligations and particularly the challenge of implementation and they are very keen to have a very clear route map outlined until 2019 and as the new landing obligations put in place starting in January 2016 there's still some uncertainties on the horizon for many of our fishermen and one of the issues that the Scottish Fishermen's Federation has raised is the need for clarity regarding the disposal of unwanted fish landed as a result of the discard ban The Federation argues that the costly burden of transportation and disposal of the fish will fall upon the fishermen themselves According to the Federation this is an undue financial liability that will ultimately cause economic distress through parts of the industry particularly the smaller coastal communities As I stated earlier it's imperative that the Scottish Government makes plans for its successful and smooth implementation of the landing obligation for actively recognising the need to protect the interests of our fishermen and our small fishing communities I think also proper that the Government also should have sufficient support measures in place for the fishing community that may have to deal with the transportation and disposal of unmarketable fish A transitional struggles is one of the many reasons for the new European maritime and fisheries fund that many members have referred to I would welcome the cabinet secretary's comments and his wind-up on the new fund and perhaps I could ask a few questions to the cabinet secretary now What will the total budget be for EMFF? What will the criteria be for a successful application? What is the application process? Will there be a matching required to access the funds? When will Marine Scotland publish its guidance and how will the funds be allocated to Scotland comparable with other fishing nasons? I'm happy to give away now if the cabinet secretary wants to make a first dash on those particular answers To be invited I will happily inform David Stewart that the plan is on track at €107 million which is unfortunately less than Scotland's deserve share of European funds in my view but that's what the UK would negotiate and will be open for applications as scheduled hopefully in January David Stewart I appreciate the cabinet secretary answering an unscheduled intervention perhaps in sending a new procedure for our Parliament but here in Scotland our fishing communities often exist in a franchise balance where there are livelihoods at stake requiring any significant changes to be viewed with careful and critical eye so when looking towards the future of the industry we know that sustainable development fisheries is beneficial environmentally, socially and economically but we must proceed with caution our fishermen of course are some of the most resilient workers in the whole of Scotland and beyond whether that adversity stems from the high seas or new mandated regulations from the EU we know that Scottish fishermen will rise to the challenge but the challenge for the future is the level of funding for marine research the enforcement and monitoring of the landing obligation and how we gear up the new EMFF process to aid our fishermen in this transition period thank you many thanks and just for the record I think that the Presiding Officers would prefer to stick with the traditional procedures I now call Rob Gibson I have a little bit of extra time Mr Gibson thank you I don't know whether my voice has got extra time or not but we will see this debate is prefigured by the fact that the fishing industry in Scotland is a very strong part of our economy James Jack of Dineure on the Clyde says in the fishing news that it is worth seven times more per head of population to Scotland than to the rest of the UK and with 70 per cent of the landings in the UK that means that this industry in Scotland is one of our key platforms for support of our rural coastal areas and the many downstream activities that are involved but the potential for making a sustainable fishing industry is obviously the main source of the debate today and I'm delighted to hear about the strength of some of the major stocks that we've been debating but I'd like to concentrate on one of the ways of monitoring what is being caught and take some approach with the WWF idea about remote electronic monitoring of cameras and sensors I think that we've got to see the scientists and the monitoring working in partnership with the fishermen themselves so that there can be confidence between the catchers and the regulators because remote electronic monitoring is all very well but we must have an ability of the fishers themselves to confirm that they are a part of this process something that is just being monitored separately because trust and confidence have got to be built on that basis and so I'd like to see with that caveat from some of the speakers some more confidence in our fishers With regard to the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund I'm glad that's been mentioned a couple of times and indeed we passed the secondary legislation in our committee the week before last and we noted at the time that it was important to many fragile coastal communities in that regard I wonder if I can ask the cabinet secretary whether in correspondence with him and whether he can mention now that the harbour at Kinloch Berby which requires modernisation which was built at the same time as many of the other west coast ports to receive attention from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in order to make modernised facilities that would allow it to compete on a level playing field with other neighbouring ports such as Loch Inver and so on because it would be important to that very fragile community that that were possible On the wider seafood sector I'd like to talk a bit about the fact that as a food we've got an awful lot of excellent seafood which we, as somebody said David Stewart said I think that the important export trade but we have to ask ourselves are the fishers getting any more because the fish is eaten in France or if it were sold here and the answer is at this stage no because it's the middle men right throughout looking at Christian Allard particularly in mentioned France but I'm going to say that at the same time we know that the trade in lobsters at Christmas in France and Spain and Portugal are a very important trade for that part of the seafood sector and that they I hope will have a stronger trade than in the period after the crash and that there will be something which they've been collecting lobsters this time will have that potential but if we're to look at more of our fish being consumed in Scotland then the concept of the Scottish Government's approach to becoming a good food nation by 2025 is going to have to make it more possible for many more people to eat fish which is caught in our waters and sold by our fishermen it's not very many of us who get to the fish van on a Tuesday when you think about the number of people who might buy fish in a supermarket that is in no way as fresh as the fish van of Bells from Scrabster and so how are we going to maximise that the importance of these things has to be carried through on the wider seafood element as well I wonder if I might comment because aquaculture is a part of this about the concerning situation where the Food and Drugs Administration in America has given the go-ahead for a GM salmon which is going to take a couple of years perhaps to develop we're not quite sure whether it's just a kind of cat's paw to try and get protein food for people introduced in other forms but at the same time the potential for the loss of any salmon like that into the wild is something that is unacceptable in many ways and is something that's got to be stopped I must return finally to the problems nearer shore and to echo comments that have been made by my colleague Ian Blackford and our concerns about the extension of the butec excuse me turbidor range near Kyle it's important would you like to pause for a second I don't have any water just pause briefly I'll come back to you in a second I just wanted to clarify a point when he talked about middlemen fish processors are not middlemen they are very much part integral of the industry and without them we ship straight abroad and we process abroad let's not forget that fish processors are one integral part of the industry, not only this but they provide a lot of employment Rob Gibson and I'll give you some extra time Thank you very much I agree with you that that's the downstream socioeconomic effects that we have to take on board to return to butec there's a desperate need to have a talk between fishers the Nefrock fishers the MOD and Kinetic, the people who conduct torpedo testing and at the moment there isn't a socioeconomic study about the impacts of the quadrupling of the size of the torpedo range and that's a key sector in safe waters in winter where Nefrock fishers can fish so we'll be asking this Government to monitor that and to make sure as in everything we can for Scotland and the fishing community Thank you Many thanks I now turn to closing speeches and a call in Tavish Scott six minutes please Well that's a two out of four so I can only congratulate Mr Gibson on getting through that and to Christine Allard for the lengthy I thought that intervention was a bit short by your standards Christine, you could have got that going for a minute or two longer but nevertheless let me pick up one of Rob Gibson's which also refers to Claudia Beamish's interesting observations about climate change in the context of the industry that we're discussing today Paris takes place or is taking place so it's entirely probbid to consider that but the Shetland Fishmen Yearbook 2016 actually has a whole section on the carbon footprint of the industry which I thought is worth contemplating in the context of the remarks that Mr Gibson and Claudia Beamish made a study there by the Marine Centre in Scalloway of the pelagic industry has found that just 0.41 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent is released into the atmosphere for every ton of fish caught which compares to 10 tonnes of beef, 11 for lamb 4 for chicken and 3 for pork. I suppose the point really here is that the carbon footprint therefore of the mackerel fishery is 8.5 times lower than the lowest scoring meat product and 47 times lower than the highest and I think if we're making the argument about the carbon footprint of any industry it's worth recognising the therefore what fishing and the fishing industry does in that context. Mr Gibson also rightly mentioned food security and it does strike me in again in that context that fishing can play an important and significant role in that not least of which because it's the biggest protein producer for the world about 17% according to the United Nations and the benefits on health in particular are well understood and well versed. Just two or three other points I want to make in that context again, I thought the points that Margaret Mendooll made about the mackerel industry's export profile is important. Sadly it's not just the Russian market that was closed because of sanctions it was also the Ukrainian market which certainly used to be very significant both on the north-east and for Shetland catch that was closed of course because there's armed conflict there and there's basically no hard currency and the implications for that were very significant indeed for quite a number of our export businesses as Margaret Mendooll rightly observed the pursuit of Africa which of course is not a new market for our pelagic industry and the far east which is more so simply because the no regions have always had such a very good grip of that particular market but the point is well made and it's important in terms of how the industry develops and also how given the quota point the minister made how price doesn't collapse if the market pressures are considerable in other words there's too much supply and not enough demand then it's very important that the minister brings all powers he can to be including Scottish Development International to assist the industry in that particular area over seas. I just also wanted to touch on the point that Stuart Stevenson and Margaret Mendooll I think other members have raised this as well during the debate. There are as I mentioned earlier on data deficient stocks the important point about those for example in lemon solids while they're not the highest volume or the highest value landings for our industry the stronger the science is the easier it is to win these arguments with the European Commission and the easier it is to avoid just to say the easier it is to avoid the precautionary principle applying which while we may all of course agree that the principles of it is never that easy to sell to the industry Stuart Stevenson Will the member agree with me that often the quotas for these very small stocks might be the choke quotas that prevent in the mixed fishery the catching of large stocks? Absolutely, that is exactly the point and it is the point that brings one inevitably to the discard ban and the importance of these issues being resolved as the 2016 goes forward might just ask the cabinet secretary in his wind-up if he can just clarify what he expects the role to be of Marine Scotland in conjunction with the industry because the reality of this is it will be an on-going issue the details of it will be really important to work through and those will not all be done by the end of this year because they can't be simply because more species are to be introduced as he mentioned at the end of 2016 and the end of 2017 as well so an understanding for Parliament plan to take that forward boot would be helpful for all of us who meet with the industry and represent that represent them and on that point I mean I do take Stuart Stevenson and Christian Allard's point about the Scottish Fishermen's Federation it would be useful of course to have a briefing for all of us there may be things going on in the background that I'm not aware of but let me also gently say it doesn't help when some people attack them personally has happened in the debate last year but nevertheless they make a fair point and it would be helpful in that regard I must confess I didn't quite worry so much about not getting a file briefing there a few years ago that there was a some years back where we all used to quote file briefings and the debate was much more about a rather more extreme form of fisheries management which was completely withdrawing from the common fisheries policy it's funny how times move on and that doesn't feature so often now but nevertheless the importance here is to make sure that MSPs are able not to just consider rightly for example the wildlife, the WS submission which is important but also the thoughts of the industry directly in that regard members have made important points I want to also just reflect the very strong argument that both Angus MacDonald and Graham Pearson made about a level playing field and in that case I'll just reflect that that was a very strong point and just simply wind up by saying the challenges the minister has I think particularly on the discard ban I think the December Fisheries Council as he has observed nearly takes care of itself this year all but for the access discussions about mackerel in Copenhagen next week but the strongest and most difficult issue we all have to contemplate is the discard ban and the importance therefore of a sustainable use of fishing opportunities achieving the economic sustainability for coastal communities and the contribution to food security I have noted that Graham Pearson who participated in the debate is missing from the chamber I don't have an explanation I'd be grateful if one would be forthcoming from Mr Pearson I call on Jamie McGregor up to six minutes please Mr McGregor Thank you Deputy Presiding Officer I'm pleased to close what I think has been a very useful debate with some very good speeches across the chamber and I thank members such as Tavish Scott and Stuart Stevenson for their very kind remarks I never knew they cared so much but it's very very touching and I'm grateful Members on all sides have rightly referred to the positive news in relation to the IC's advice for many of the stocks most important to Scotland including North Sea Cod which is at its highest level for a decade thank goodness and I want to emphasise again that it's thanks to the efforts of our Scottish fishermen that these stocks are in a healthy position they've made many sacrifices over the last decade and a half and introduced more conservation measures be it real-time closures adaptions to fishing gear or spatial management than any other fishing fleet in the whole of Europe and we should commend them for that they've done a great job the biggest issue of this debate has understandably been the impending phased introduction from next year of the discard ban on the white fish sector while the discard ban and the pelagic sector has been relatively easy to manage due to the nature of the fishery because pelagic species tend to swim together unlike demersal stocks who swim different stocks swim together the challenges of meeting the obligation in a mixed white fish governed by quotas and relative stability are very hard indeed and in fact it was Ian Gatt of the pelagic fisheries who told me that and he said it's been not so difficult for us but it's going to be much more difficult for the demersal sector and there are real risks along the way well I welcome the general consensus understanding in this debate of the need for an uplift in quotas that is fundamental but it's not the solution in itself like Tavish Scott I mentioned in my opening speed the need for a truly consistent approach across all vessels fishing in the EU waters in terms of enforcement and compliance and this is absolutely vital I also agree with Tavish Scott again when he argued that there must be no resistance to the application of flexibilities and no gold plating of regulations to the disadvantage of our whitefish fishermen Claudia Beamish referred to the European Maritime Fisheries Fund and I agree it should be utilised appropriately to support our fishermen in the transition period to the full discard ban and this is a point that my colleague Ian Doctor Ian Duncan MEP has made many times and it was of course Ian Duncan who inserted the clause into the text of relevant European law on discards that said that member states should have in place measures to facilitate their storage or for finding outlets for undersized fish such as support for investment in the construction and adaption of landing sites and shelters or support for investments to add value to fisheries products Rob Gibson I talked about investment in Kinloch Berwy which I think is an example of the point of my amendment in today's debate and I will reiterate my previous comments about the importance of achieving inequitability for the pelagic fishermen in terms of mackerel and blue whiting quotas with Norway and the ferries quite simply the ferries are catching too much in our waters and we are not benefiting in return from access to their waters we need to support our pelagic fishermen and the important processing facilities depending on their catch the market is already challenging given the ongoing Russian EU trade dispute the devaluation of the Ukrainian currency which has already been mentioned and the significant currency import problems with Nigeria since the oil economy crash to conclude Presiding Officer I again call on the Cabinet Secretary to look at the specific additional support for the demersal sector to help it meet what will be a profound challenge in meeting the discard ban both from next year and in transition to the full ban in 2019 and on behalf of the Scottish Conservatives I wish him and his team well for the negotiations in Brussels and the on-going negotiations with Norway and the ferries which are so important too I wish him all success in achieving maximum catching opportunity for the Scottish fishing fleet because thereby he will be supporting sustainable economic activity communities all over Scotland and food security as well I have no problem with the Liberal or Labour amendments and I hope that the Cabinet Secretary will see fit to support my Conservative one Many thanks Mr McGregor and I now call on Claudia Beamish seven minutes please Thank you Presiding Officer this has been a wide-ranging debate and we have been able to explore the issues together across the chamber at the end of our year of Scottish food and drink I want to turn to for a few moments to the quest for fresh affordable food and I'd like to highlight Scottish Wildlife's new publication idea 39 reads to inspire a step change in consumer habits to eliminate demand for unsustainably sourced seafood at each section of the booklet has a talking point for marine and coastal it reads what is the most effective way of changing consumer habits with regard to sustainable seafood there are many fresh ideas from this afternoon's debate and beyond can I ask the cabinet secretary to reassure the chamber that there is no siloed either in Scottish food and drink or elsewhere and there is not a criticism of any of the organisations involved but that there is a collective drive to ensure that those who sell are seafood and that they ensure wise purchase and promote effectively so that we know what is on offer and also interestingly Scottish seafood which I understand is wholesale facing has a handy seasonal guide to sustainable fish eating and that's for international buyers and for chefs and the media and I learnt quite a lot just from the A4 the sort of perfect briefing for MSPs with their busy lives I want also to highlight in terms of jobs looking at the onshore benefits arise from the fishing industry at the medicinal properties of fish and the cod recovery plan has perhaps given more confidence for those who know about sustainable fisheries to take cod liver oil helping the heart, vitamin D for the immune systems and importantly at this time of year and it also contributes to normal bones and muscle function personally quite useful for me at the moment I'm only glad that the modern capsule form bought by my partner rather than the teaspoon which was force fed to me as a child is actually what I'm being given at the moment also fish oils are used in the beauty, skincare and nail product industries and I hope the cabinet secretary agrees that checking out the opportunities of sustainable harvest process and marketing of medicinal and beauty products as well from fish and nature more widely is an opportunity for jobs that Scotland should not miss thanks to my colleague Dave Stewart for his perspective from the Highlands and Islands he is rightly paying tribute to the resilience of the fishing industry and our small communities who as he said have lived with the salt of the sea in their blood I echo his call to the Scottish Government to commit to the European maritime fisheries fund and make it available to all those in this transition time whether for transport or for distribution or for diversification the only way to develop any industry sustainably is to entrench its future in science and research as we've heard from a number of members this afternoon and as Margaret MacDougall has said we need investment in research to clearly monitor progress and assess changing needs for ecosystems and for industry will the cabinet secretary consider fighting to direct more funding to Marine Scotland to ensure an evidence-based approach good luck with that cabinet secretary Tavish Scott pointed out that as I understand the fishing industry has eight and a half times lower than the lowest carbon footprint in the meat industry and that is an interesting figure indeed and according to research of Bloom who I referred to in my initial remarks and my opening remarks the north east Atlantic sea has a greater biodiversity than all the rainforest of the world put together an ecosystem approach that I haven't taken intervention I've got very little time the ecosystem approach is essential to the future of our fisheries in my speech on fisheries in December of 2011 I welcomed the staged implementation of discard ban as it was being planned and Graham Pearson and many others in this debate have exposed the fragile nature of the future of our fisheries and the utter necessity of ensuring that the landing obligation is proportionately planned, managed and monitored and I'm grateful to rely on him as a colleague in the justice brief to explore the issues surrounding compliance with the landing obligation as a ban encapsulates dermisal fish as well there are a number of questions which the cabinet secretary will need to address in the negotiations which many members have raised this afternoon and are indeed very complex in a mixed fishery will the cabinet secretary seek a pan-European consensus on the rules of enforcement as argued by Tavish Scott and Angus MacDonald and others May I too add my wishes to Jamie McGregor and recognise his significant contribution in fisheries debates and indeed in fisheries management not just on the west coast and I want also to thank Angus MacDonald for the meeting that was hosted here in the Scottish Parliament with the White Fish Scottish White Fish Producers Association and also with Markson Spencer obviously at the consumer end and the Scottish Government organised by WWF Scotland and I believe this is testament to the sort of partnership working that we need in the future here in Scotland I wish the cabinet secretary well in the complexity of the EU negotiations in Brussels and in the other negotiations which have been raised by members in relation to the ferros and Norway and Iceland in the near future and I hope he will indeed be able to take a leading role in those negotiations within the UK delegation good luck cabinet secretary many thanks and I now call in Richard Lochhead to wind up the debate cabinet secretary you have until 5 o'clock cabinet secretary and thank you to all members for their contributions as we prepare to go to our key annual negotiations in Brussels the week after next I should start by referring to Jamie McGrigor given that we all don't know there will be no respective seats following maize elections Jamie has voluntarily given up his seat in terms of maize elections and even though I can't claim to have his knowledge of prawns and even though we often disagree in some of the big issues of the day I do want to pay tribute to Jamie McGrigor cos we always know that he does have the fishing industry's interest at heart and has made many fine contributions to annual fishing debates over the years since 1999 I was going to refer to Jamie as an old cod like an old cod back in 1999 not that many colleagues and many of them were discarded in subsequent years human intervention he survived to 2015 but I'm not quite sure that his parties have the same kind of recovery as the cod has today as well but you have survived you are a survivor and you're here having been part of the 99 intake like myself and I wish Jamie all the best for the future and I sure I'm sure you're content to take a close interest in fisheries in terms of the other amendments and other parties we are content to support the table by Claudia Beamish unfortunately we can't support Tavish Scott's amendment I take on boards that many of his comments we could support but in terms of securing an uplift in quote allocations for species covered by the introduction of discard ban of course we have to pay attention to the science and in terms of some species there will be more discards more of a justification for an uplift than perhaps others so we have to see that therefore we cannot support Tavish Scott's amendment since it's Jamie McGregor yes Jamie McGregor yes I thank the cabinet secretary for taking the intervention and while I see that he's not going to support my amendment I wonder if he would not admit that the insertion of the clause by Dr Ian Duncan referring to extra support for the transition to discard ban was a good thing I don't know if he thinks it's a good thing or not but all the fishermen think it's a good thing cabinet secretary we don't often agree with the Conservative party to serve the board on many things but in terms of interpretation of Ian Duncan's amendment to that particular regulation we share the UK Government's interpretation of that which is not incumbent on the member states to give any more support than what they're already giving and indeed in Scotland support I do believe that we have a good plan in hand to work with the industry to make sure they can get through the discard ban I may refer to that in my forthcoming remarks many members of course have made good comments and referred to the contribution of the fishing industry to Scotland and of course the fact that many fishermen have made the ultimate sacrifice to bring fish to our tables and indeed in the 21st century our fishermen are not just fishermen they are experts in paperwork they have to be conservationists as well as fishermen they also have to share space at sea with other users and other industries not least the renewable energy sector and in terms of marine protected areas we have to also have spatial management in relation to protecting our precious seabed features and that's why the Scottish Government are implementing a network of 30 marine protected areas and I've considered very carefully how Scotland's fishing communities have done so I think the cabinet secretary for taking intervention would the cabinet secretary agree with me that the right balance has been found in order to move the marine protected area plans forward in terms of the socio-economic and environmental protection aims? Cabinet secretary I've listened very closely to recent representations from particularly the west coast fishing communities I do think we have struck a fair balance but of course we will make our final announcements in a few days time but it's clear there's divided the opinion even in the fishing industry itself because we're talking about one part of the fishing industry who expressed concern over some of the boundaries of the MPAs I want to turn quickly to some of the issues mentioned by members during the debate firstly Rob Gibson referred to the proposal by the Minister of Defence to extend the torpedo testing range between Skye and the mainland and I just want to assure Rob Gibson and other members that I'm following very closely the consultation process being conducted by the MOD I heard at first hand from some fishermen at a recent inshore fishes conference about their concerns about the potential impact in small fishing vessels in the area and I very much urge the Minister of Defence to take full account of the responses expressed by local fishermen in that part of Scotland Claudia Beamish mentioned two or three issues to I can't cover all the issues you mentioned but in terms of one also mentioned by Dave Stewart the future of the European Maritime Fisheries Fund as I said before that is opening in January for applications there will be a hundred and seven million euros in that fund taking into account match funding for the Scottish Government and the European element as well so on the comments there will be a lot of support within that to help the industry adapt to the discard bans in Scottish waters in terms of better selectivity and adopting other measures Dave Stewart also mentioned what's the position of the disposal of unwanted fish the position on the disposal of unwanted fish in terms of discard bans is the responsibility for storing and transporting unwanted catch lies with the vessel and that's what the regulation says but as I've just said the European Maritime Fisheries Fund will provide a financial mechanism to support fishermen in that area if required but I should emphasise that in the first year of the Whitefish discard bans 2016 we anticipate the unwanted catch to be very small at Scotland's key sites so clearly this is an on-going issue for 2017 and 2018 and 19 but that is hopefully the situation for 2016 in terms of deep sea trawling I should say to Claudia Beamish that Scotland currently is leading the way in brokering a European agreement on deep sea trawling which protects of course vulnerable marine ecosystems and the species where they are found it's a very difficult issue but we are paying close attention to that in terms of Tavish Scott's comment about taking forward the discard bans we will for beyond 2016 which she was asking about work with the regionalisation of the common fisheries policies or neighbouring states, we'll all be working together and likewise with our industries so many of the decisions have still to be taken on what species will be included and how they'll be included for 2017, 2018 and 19 but I assure them that we will be standing up for Scotland's interests in those matters understandably much of the comment today has been about the impact of the discard bans in Scottish and European waters as I said before given that globally 7 million tonnes of fish was estimated to be discarded in 2005 which is one of the most recent estimates available it is no wonder that public opinion political opinion scientific opinion industry opinion believes that is a chronic waste of a good quality food resource a quality waste of what should be a good economic contribution to Scotland and Europe's economies therefore it is a no-brainer we are tackling discards in Scottish and European waters but we should take the opportunity to congratulate the Scottish industry on the fact that they have taken huge steps to already reduce the amount of fish discards in our waters Scottish discards of North Sea Cod reduced by nearly half since 2007 from 51% to 24% and 16% of white fish caught by Scottish fishermen in 2012 were discarded compared to 47% in 2007 so they have been making the utmost effort to reduce discards but as I said in my own remarks they are still a long way to go and public opinion wants to see an end to the discarding of good quality fish dead overboard into our seas which is a complete waste and of no use to anyone certainly support that in this country and will work with her industry to make it happen there is no bigger illustration however of the industry's progress in recent years than the recovery of North Sea Cod it is incredible to think that North Sea Cod stock is now three times the size it was in 2006 I repeat that the North Sea Cod stock is now three times the size it was in 2006 it's only a couple of years since one Sunday newspaper famously emblazoned in front page there was only a handful of Cod left the North Sea which led to a lot of consternation in the fishing industry in Scotland and beyond but here we are in 2015 and it's three times the level it was in 2006 and it's fantastic that now our fishermen are preparing to apply for marine accredited stewardship for Cod stocks which will open up new markets in the UK and throughout the rest of the world as well and that's also against a backdrop going into this negotiation of 10 of our 15 key whitefish stocks in line for significant quota increases normally we go into these talks trying to fight off big cuts in days at sea or an avalanche of quota cuts yet this year we're going in with the prospect of getting quota increases for 10 out of Scotland's key whitefish species so I think in the enemy's book that is really good news and huge progress as I reach a conclusion I just want to say that this debate today has been about our fishermen it's also about the fish processing jobs it's about the painters the shipyard workers, the electricians the software companies, those that build maintain the vessels it's also about the net makers the workers and the harbour cafes the lorry drivers, the fuel suppliers and so on having healthy fish stocks in our seas and an active fishing industry it's also about the multi million pound pelagic boat space in the north east of Scotland or in Shetland down to the one man Creole boats in our inshore waters as well and most importantly it's about ensuring that future generations can benefit from having rich fish stocks in our waters and access to those stocks through accessing quota and being able to have a vessel so this is about the future and preventing discard bans in 2016 will be tough, it will be challenging but it's the right thing to do for our fishing industry it's the right thing to do for fishers conservation and it's the right thing to do for Scotland and I'll fight to get the best possible deal for Scotland's fishing communities the week after next at the annual fishing negotiations in Brussels thank you that concludes the debate on sea fisheries and then gear negotiations the next item of business is decision time there are five questions as a result of today's business the first question is at motion number 1495