 I take the opportunity to remind members of the Covid-related measures that are in place and that face covering should be worn while moving around the chamber and across the Holyrood campus. The next item of business is a debate without motion on Scotland's approach to 2021 coastal state negotiations. I would invite members who wish to contribute to the debate to press their request-to-speak buttons now or as soon as possible, if they are joining us online to put an R in the chat function. I call on the cabinet secretary to open the debate for around 11 minutes. This debate on fishing negotiations comes at a time when the world has gathered in Glasgow, taking stock of efforts to preserve our planet for future generations. The theme of sustainability and preservation of biodiversity has to be one that runs through all our policies, all our discussions and our laws. The Scottish Government recognises the critical role that our oceans and seas play in our daily lives as well as mitigating and adapting to climate change. Last week's ocean action day during COP26 showed us why and how we need to challenge ourselves and the global community to act faster. We need to do more to ensure healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse oceans for today and for tomorrow. The debate also comes at a time when the Scottish fishing industry continues to face significant challenges. Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic have hit Scotland's seafood industry hard. From Shetland to Imath to the Western Isles to the Clyde, I have been listening to fishers and processors, hearing first-hand how their businesses and livelihoods have been harmed. We want a fishing industry that is resilient, robust and sustainable, a fishing industry that delivers for Scotland. Realising that goal means finding a balance between environmental, social and economic considerations, protecting both our fishermen and our stunning and diverse marine environment. Getting that balance right is in everyone's interests. As one Scottish skipper noted recently, you have to make sure that you are guaranteeing a future in the job. It is in my interests to fish within sustainable levels. A healthy marine environment is crucial to supporting a sustainable fishing and seafood industry. The year-end negotiations with our coastal state partners are a crucial part of getting that balance right. The Fisheries Act of 2020 makes it clear under its sustainability objective that fisheries managers should find middle ground between economic and ecological considerations. Our negotiation position is based on taking pragmatic and informed management decisions on appropriate levels of total allowable catches. We must follow the direction of the scientific advice towards maximum sustainable yield. However, we also have a responsibility to manage the increases and decreases that are recommended by science, avoiding large fluctuations in total allowable catch, which could negatively impact on the industry and the markets. That sometimes requires taking a more incremental approach towards achieving maximum sustainable yield in the interests of the broader sustainability of a given fishery. Our position in negotiations is therefore informed by the principle of total allowable catch constraints. We believe that it is appropriate to limit tack variances year-on-year for individual stocks by 20 per cent. The tax constraint, which is in line with international good practice, allows us to move in the direction of the scientific advice while avoiding peaks and troughs in tax that would be economically damaging. That kind of active and pragmatic management is particularly important in the context of this year's negotiations. Almost one year on from the signature of the trade and co-operation agreement, the shortcomings of the reckless Brexit deal are already plain for all to see. Scotland's fishermen are particularly scunnered by what many of them now realise as a sell-out of their and our industry. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has labelled the deal as desperately poor and the worst of both worlds for industry. A report published in September this year, prepared by a former DEFRA negotiator, has confirmed our own analysis at the time that, far from increasing prosperity, the TCA will lead to a loss for the industry. Much of the wanted increase from the TCA is a paper fish, a fact that we highlighted at the time that the agreement was made, and for various reasons it will therefore not be caught and it will add no value to Scotland's economy or coastal communities. It is no wonder, Presiding Officer, that Scotland's fishermen feel a sense of Brexit betrayal. This situation has been exacerbated by Covid-19, yes. I thank the cabinet secretary for taking that intervention. When she has been speaking to fishermen, can she tell me how many have told her that they want to follow the SNP's policy of returning into the EU and, therefore, back into the common fisheries policy, having regained control of our waters? The biggest issues that I hear about when I am speaking to fishers and people within the seafood industry are the length and breadth of Scotland, and the issues that I am outlining here, and, among a lot of that as well, is labour. That is a big issue. The situation has been exacerbated by Covid-19, which has forced boats to remain tied up at quay sides and driven volatility in the market. The results of a Marine Scotland survey last year showed that 73 per cent of sea fisheries businesses relied solely or partly on Government support to continue operating. Those findings underline the importance of this Government's actions to get help to Scotland's fishers, processors and small fish and seafood farmers as fast as we could last year. We were the first Government in the UK to act, and we literally helped to save many from much harsher financial harm. Now we are faced with some difficult scientific advice for 2022. Proposed cuts to key stocks are a real concern for communities up and down Scotland that rely on fishing for their livelihoods. The advice also highlights the precarious nature of some stocks, which must be protected and preserved for future generations. Presiding Officer, that is indeed a challenging context. However, I want to reassure the chamber that this Government is focused on getting the best possible deal for Scotland. Marine officials are working hard, even as I speak, promoting our interests in international negotiations with other coastal states. I am pleased to say that we have reached agreement with our coastal states neighbours on total catch limits for 2022, in line with ICE's advice for mackerel, blue-whiting and Atlantic Scandian herring. The first round of our trilateral negotiations with the EU and Norway was productive, and we look forward to hosting the second round here in Edinburgh next week. In addition, the first round of the UK-EU bilateral negotiation starts tomorrow. While the timescales for negotiation are uncertain and depend on the willingness of our international partners to negotiate, it is our hope to conclude discussions by the middle of December, allowing fishers to enter a new fishing year with more clarity, certainty and, I hope, optimism than in recent years. We are conscious of our obligation to balance the needs of the present with the interests of the future. That is clearly set out in both our fisheries management strategy published last December and the co-operation agreement that was made with the Scottish Greens. The fisheries management strategy will drive an inclusive approach to fisheries management. Ruth Hamilton Can the cabinet secretary confirm that, through the green and S&P coalition, that there is no threat to cuts in quotas considering that the conservation aspect of fisheries is devolved? I mean, we will continue to have these discussions and will be setting out and consulting on our future catching policy early next year, where of course we will have all of these discussions. We want to bring people together, ensuring that a range of voices are heard, to collaborate on finding solutions. The Government will continue to engage with stakeholders at every level to achieve that. This approach is epitomised in the recent Nefrop's working group, which published a report on 15 September this year. Today, we responded to the recommendations set out in that report. Fundamentally, we are all agreed that we need to strengthen the resilience of the seafood industry here in Scotland, and a key aspect is to strengthen links to local and global markets. Of course, that objective would be easier to deliver with a level trading playing field and access to the skilled labour that they require. The UK Government did not need to force us out of free trade and freedom of movement with the EU, but it did, and our seafood industry is paying the price. I want to reassure our coastal communities that we will continue to do all that we can with the resources available to us to continue to supply high-quality seafood to consumers both here at home and abroad. We will of course continue to press the UK Government for measures to address labour shortages and to help, rather than hinder efforts, to export our quality product to our most lucrative market, which is the EU. Although recent experience suggests that it will continue to be our industry put in harm's way, every opportunity that the Tories want to manufacture a problem to disguise the sheer awfulness of the deal that they agree to on leaving the EU, we must also use our own powers to make our own industry more resilient, and that includes onshore as well as offshore. This Government has long been committed to applying an economic link licence condition to fishing opportunity, so I can announce today that following consultation in the previous parliamentary session, we will move to increase the amount of catch landed into Scottish ports by introducing new economic link arrangements for Scottish vessels in 2023. There is a wide range of other commitments in the 12-point action plan contained within our fisheries management strategy. Those include introducing a new catching policy, enhancing our knowledge and evidence base through the introduction of remote electronic monitoring to key parts of the fishing fleet and working to mitigate the impact of climate change on our seas. The co-operation agreement with the Scottish Greens incorporates those commitments, but it also goes further. The Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party believe that the marine environment should be clean, healthy, safe, productive and diverse and manage to meet the long-term needs of nature and people. As part of this vision, we are determined to make a step change in marine protection and to deliver on our shared commitment to achieve and maintain good environmental status for all of Scotland's seas, offshore and inshore. The measures that we have agreed for enhanced marine protection will make Scotland an international leader in this field. We specifically commit to restoring marine habitats in Scotland's inshore waters with the aim of achieving good environmental status, recognising that those waters contain valuable blue carbon hotspots, nursery grounds for fish stocks and an array of rich marine wildlife and biodiversity. Specific actions will include enhancing marine protection through marine protected areas and new highly protected marine areas, taking specific measures to protect the inshore seabed and extending the requirement for vessel tracking and monitoring systems across the whole commercial fleet by the end of the current parliamentary session. Making progress on delivering those commitments will be our priority in the coming year. The Government is wholly committed to addressing the twin crises of climate and biodiversity. Increasingly, the world is realising that adapting to climate change while also seeking to slow global warming is a marine as well as a land challenge. Scotland is already playing its part. Indeed, we are part of a groundbreaking and world-leading activity on blue carbon. Tomorrow, I will open an international blue carbon conference here in Scotland, the first ever to be held at the same time as a UN climate conference. This is the first time that oceans have had such prominence in the UN climate change programme, with hundreds of ocean and marine events taking place over the course of COP26. This is a welcome development and an important step to build understanding of the importance of protecting our ocean and the role it can play in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience to drive action. There is no doubt that facing up to and addressing those intertwined challenges is difficult. The last few years have been a time of constant upheaval for Scotland's fishing and seafood sectors, and at times it has felt, in the words of one of my favourite authors, Lewis Grassic Given, that nothing is true but change. The shock of the Covid-19 pandemic added to a Brexit deal that has utterly failed and undermined our industry, has wrought unwelcome uncertainty among our fishing communities and partners for an endeavour that is always challenging and often dangerous. All of that has taken place in the wider context of the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate change, which pose a real and imminent danger to our country and our planet. However, this Government is not sitting on the sidelines. We have a vision, a strategy to make our fishing industry sustainable, both economically and ecologically. We are acting to resolve those issues and give the fishing industry a renewed sense of certainty. We are fiercely defending Scotland's interests in international quota negotiations and we are bringing the best available science to bear on the current and future management of our fisheries. We have a team of some of the most experienced and competent negotiators in Europe to support our industry objectives and we are working with others to protect our shared marine heritage, leading in international collaboration in areas such as blue carbon habitats and storage. We may be facing challenges, but as we continue to face this uncertainty and change, I am resolved to do what this Government does best, which is stand up for, promote and protect Scotland's interests at all times. I can advise the chamber that we have a little time in hand, so anybody who takes interventions will get that time back. I want to first start by thanking and paying tribute to the fishing industry for its resilience and to all who work in the seafood supply chain. In my constituency, we were reminded recently of the perils of the sea when the town of EyeMouth marked the 140th anniversary of the EyeMouth disaster when 189 fishermen were drowned on a stormy night in October 1881. Our fishermen risk their lives in all weathers so that we have food on our plates and we must never forget that. As a result of our exit from the EU, the UK and Scotland are now independent coastal states, giving us or an independent coastal state, giving us control over our own waters and we on the benches feel that it is a fantastic chapter of opportunity for our fishing communities. Because fisheries are a devolved matter, many of the powers that were exercised at the EU level before Brexit are now held by Scottish ministers. The devolution of fisheries is further consolidated by the Fisheries Act of 2020, which confers a broad regulatory power on the Scottish ministers with the scope of devolved competence for a conservation purpose or a fishing industry purpose. In opening today for the Scottish Conservatives, I would like to make a number of points on standing up for fishing communities, on vital funding and sustainability. Firstly, as a result of the UK's exit from the EU, the UK is now an independent coastal state with control over our waters for the first time in decades. Not only have we managed to secure additional quota worth around £146 million over the next five years, but it will be shared across the UK. I thank Rachael Hamilton for taking an intervention. Does she not agree that the UK negotiated on the principle of leaving the EU and not actually working for the fishing industry? The trade and co-operation agreement with the EU, which was agreed in December 2020, gives British fishermen the right to catch more fish in UK waters. I know that Emma Harper is very interested in separating our country and taking us right back into the common fisheries policy, which was hated by many fishermen right across the country. That is why we should work together to make the most of the opportunities that we have in front of us. I was talking about the shared additional quota across Britain. That will benefit those parts of the UK, where active fishers have demonstrated that they need and can catch those stocks. I will talk about that later in the speech. The Scottish Conservatives, on those benches, have repeatedly stood up for fishing communities since the EU departure. When it comes to funding, Scotland's other Government has stepped up to the mark on providing the industry with additional support. Would the member care to elaborate on why, in the replacement for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Scotland received only £14 million, as opposed to the £62 million that it should have received? I thank the cabinet secretary for that intervention, but the Scottish Government has received a number of tranches of funding, in particular the recent funding that is going to give access to develop technology to increase the number of skills opportunities. Further into my contribution today, I want to speak about the lack of help from the Scottish Government with regard to young entrants into the industry. Moving back to what the UK Government did in terms of its support, we opened a £23 million fund to support fishing communities across Scotland through disruption related to the UK's case exit to the EU. It is important that we recognise, or the UK Government did recognise, that businesses needed support at this crucial time. That mitigated losses to businesses caused by delays related to the export world fresh or live fish and shellfish to the EU. That was an important bit of funding. The UK Government also bolstered support with a £100 million UK seafood fund, and that has been a vital lifeline to level up coastal communities across Scotland. The first part of that funding was announced in September 2021, which means that, as I said to the cabinet secretary, there is an important opportunity to invest and develop technology and to trial new gear and support world-class research to improve the productivity and long-term sustainability of the industry, which is really important in the conversations that we have had during COP26. It will also enable the industry to process more fish, land it in the UK, create the job opportunities that we need across that supply chain and upskill the workforce and train new entrants, as well as cutting-edge technology in new safe and sustainable methods. I am concerned that a number of members on the SNP benches are dragging us back to constitutional arguments and it just highlights the attitude of the SNP Government towards our fantastic coastal communities. If I take the example that I was making there of my constituent—I actually cannot find his example here—it is about banging the drum for getting young people into the industry. It concerns me greatly that I wrote to the cabinet secretary for finance recently about a loan for a fishing licence for a young constituent of mine who is looking for help with his—he has a fishing vessel and he wants a licence. He was told that on the basis that the cost of licensing a vessel is an operational statutory cost of business, it is considered and I quote, to be a relatively poor return in terms of public investment for the limited funding that has been historically available to the industry. That confirms that the SNP is not standing up for young people who want to enter this thriving industry. It is a sad state of affairs for the next generation, I am afraid. To add insult to injury and to quote further, the minister said that better value in terms of investment return are also achieved from assisting industry with aid directed at non-statutory investments such as quality improvements, safety infrastructure and market-related initiatives, where added value is achieved. It just shows a lack of understanding about how we want to take an independent coastal state in terms of the activity of all those communities across Scotland into the fishing industry and really get the fishing industry thriving again. In my final point, Presiding Officer, I want to touch on the cod stocks. The SFA, along with the Scottish White Fish Producers Association, has asked the Scottish and the UK Government to create an independent panel to assess the International Council for Exploration of Seas numbers and put them into proper perspective. Fishermen have warned Scottish ministers to think twice about cutting cod quotas next year after figures show that there were £285 million of the fish in the North Sea. The ICESS is recommending a reduction in the total allowable catch for North Sea cod of 10.3 per cent, even though it also admits that doubling quotas for the species would mean an increase of 24 per cent in the size of stock by 2023. We know that North Sea cod is abundant with a population of up to £180 million in 2018, but green NGOs constantly describe cod as threatened or endangered as a risk of extinction. Perhaps, Presiding Officer, the picture is very different, and that is why I asked the cabinet secretary in an intervention whether there is a threat from the S&P green coalition of them cutting quotas, considering that the aspect of conservation is devolved. In conclusion, the CFP is unavoidable with EU membership, and that only comes with the S&P green coalition and the nationalist coalition breaking up the United Kingdom. Our fishermen do not want to be dictated to by Brussels, and it is time that both of Scotland's Governments work together for the benefit of Scotland's fishing communities. I want to place on record my thanks to Scotland's fishers who go to sea every day in the most dangerous peacetime occupation to put food on all our tables. I am a sector that provides thousands of jobs often in some of Scotland's most fragile rural communities and generates more than £300 million a year in gross value added with the processing sector contributing more than that. Faced with the twin shocks of the collapse of markets during Covid lockdowns and a deal to leave the EU that no one is surprised failed to deliver what Scotland's fishing sector needed or was promised in an industry that has shown remarkable resilience. The impact of that Brexit deal was entirely predictable, devastating delays in getting products to the market, and entirely predictable increases in labour shortages, particularly crippling fish processors and entirely predictable trade-in disputes. It is in the context of that deal those challenges that the next round of coastal state negotiations will take place. It is also in the context of a renewed focus on the importance of our precious marine environment in tackling the climate crisis and the need to prioritise sustainability, not just because it is the right thing to do environmentally but because it is the right thing to do to secure the long-term economic viability of the industry. The Scottish Government has opted to largely rely on the UK Fisheries Act to determine the framework for those negotiations, even in devolved areas, rather than deliver a Scottish Fisheries Act. However, decisions on fisheries management in Scotland rest with Scottish ministers. While fishers themselves have a role to play in responsible management of the seas, it is Scottish ministers who decide on how our seas are used. Ahead of this year's discussions and negotiations, I want to set out five tests from Labour for the Scottish Government on the establishment and distribution of sustainable fishing quota for 2022. Firstly, we believe that fishing catch quotas should not exceed scientific advice for maximum sustainable yield in 2022. I appreciate delivering against fixed MSY targets and mixed fisheries, where stocks are subject to individually fluctuating scientific advice. It is challenging, and it requires close co-operation across the UK and beyond. However, overfishing depletes our public fish asset and reduces the amount that is available for subsequent years. Labour will assess the outcome of the forthcoming negotiations from Scottish ministers on how total quota allowances compare to scientific advice, whether it tackles overfishing and whether there is a genuine commitment from the Scottish Government not to exceed maximum sustainable yield. Secondly, we will assess the actions of ministers on whether negotiations deliver a fairer, more diverse distribution of quota allocation in Scotland. Something the cabinet secretary was silent on in her opening comments. Fish quotas have become a tradable asset sold in least for profit and have become highly consolidated. For example, four companies control 55 per cent of the North Sea mackerel quota. The benefit is no longer being shared amongst a fleet of smaller vessels but instead concentrated to those few owners who operate very large boats. The Scottish Government should instigate an immediate review of how quotas are allocated to assess what more can be done to deliver section 25 of the UK Fisheries Act, the best social, economic and environmental outcomes for Scotland. Thirdly, Labour believes in the principle that Scottish seafood should be landed in Scotland. At present, far too much is landed abroad by passing Scotland's economy, food system and jobs. For example, 55 per cent of mackerel caught by Scottish fish and vessels last year was landed directly to a foreign port. The Scottish Government has done little to date to prevent this beyond consulting, and we will assess carefully the announcement that the cabinet secretary has just made. However, we need proper investment in building capacity and infrastructure and fishing keys and, within the processing sector, to secure more land in Scottish ports, helping to regenerate our all-too-often neglected coastal communities. Fourthly, we believe that quotas should be used to incentivise a change towards lower impact and less by-catch forms of fishing. We know that some methods of fishing caused serious environmental harm. Scotland's marine assessment in 2020 found that fishing was the most significant and widespread pressure on Scotland's seas, noting particularly that bottom trawler and other mobile bottom contact and fishing methods have led to widespread changes to the marine ecosystem. The pressure associated with damaging methods can be reduced and the impacts mitigated through restrictions on such methods are backed by a just transition to ensure that fishers are supported, but also through proper incentives. Additionally, discarding is resulting in vast volumes of fish being killed and thrown back at sea. That is environmentally damaging and, frankly, a shocking waste given that many juvenile fish thrown back because they are too small to market ends up reducing the next year's catch. That issue was supposedly made illegal in 2019, but we know that it continues. Fifthly, Labour believes that a fairer share of catching opportunities should be secured for Scottish fishers. Scottish fishers have not been served well by the trade and co-operation agreement between the UK Government and the EU. The seas around Scotland contain some of the most productive, valuable and diverse fisheries to be found, however. Scottish vessels currently account for a minority of the total tonnage and value taken from them. As well as reforming how quotas are allocated in Scotland to ensure that they are distributed more fairly on social, economic and environmental grounds, a focus of Scottish ministers in negotiations should be on securing a greater share of the fish in and in Scottish waters for Scotland's fishers. Labour will assess and hold to account ministers on our five tests in the current round of coastal negotiations and beyond, on whether they deliver a better redistribution of fishing quotas to smaller boats, who are the backbone of the fishing fleet, whether they lead to landing more in our Scottish ports, creating the jobs that our coastal communities need, and whether they genuinely deliver a sustainable fishing industry for the benefit of our environment and for the benefit of all our coastal communities. I, too, would like to pray tribute to all our fishermen and the dangerous job that they do, and along with all the work in the fishing industry to put food on our tables. I will not be the first to raise with the cabinet secretary the disparity between the scientific assessment of fish stocks, particularly cod and the reality on the fishing grounds. I am told that the disparity has widened to the point where the credibility of the fisheries management system is under threat. Shetland fishermen are seeing abundant cod on the fishing grounds, but some vessels face bankruptcy if the quota is cut again. As it has been put to me, it is one thing to have fishing vessels going bankrupt if fish stocks disappear, but quite another to engineer a situation where they go bankrupt amid the largest fish stocks seen in the North Sea for the last two decades. I understand an increasing number of fishery scientists who have grown uneasy over the ISIS stock assessments, while ISIS itself says that it is willing to engage with the fishing industry to improve data collection and the way that data is interpreted. The trouble is that that all takes time, years of time. That could mean vessels going bankrupt. In turn, coastal and island communities would face a crisis, all of which could be avoidable. Shetland might be small and perfectly formed, but we are a large ocean community right in the heart of the North Sea and North Atlantic. We rely on the seas and those working on and around it. To that end, I am frequently in touch with the Shetland Fishermen's Association. The SFA, along with colleagues on the mainland, has called for the introduction of an expert panel to advise ministers on ISIS advice every year. There is concern about the quality of scientific advice, both in the at sea data gathering exercise that feeds into annual ISIS assessments and the reference points that ISIS uses to recommend total allowable catches or tax. The headline recommendation from ISIS in respect of North Sea cod is a 10.3 reduction in the 2022 tax. That is where negotiators feel bound to start from, and they need reasons to repart from that advice if there is going to be an agreement to an increase rather than a decrease of cod tax. There are several reasons that I would like to raise about ISIS advice and increase North Sea cod quotas next year. According to ISIS, the North Sea cod quota can be increased substantially in 2022 without sacrificing increases in the stock size. Modelling indicates that the spawning stock biomass, or SSB, of this species would increase by 24 per cent between now and 2023 if the tax was doubled. More modest increases in the tax would lift the SSB by almost as much as the ISIS recommended 10.3 per cent cut. The second point, ISIS's reference points for North Sea cod, is the largest size the stock has reached in the period from 1998 to 2021, almost 98 tonnes. That happens to be the highest figure for the last 40 years as well, which means that the system is trying to raise the North Sea cod SSB to levels that, according to the advice, cannot be reached by 2023, even without any fishing at all. Thirdly, North Sea demersal fisheries are mixed fisheries, with cod being caught at the same time as several other species during typical fishing operations. An acute shortage of cod quota in a situation of cod abundance is restricting the fleet's capacity to catch species for which it does have quota. To conclude, the immediate priorities for Shetland's fleets in this year's talks are to an agree and increase in the North Sea cod quota, to avoid a cut in the link quota, as the only evidence available to ISIS shows the stock to be three times larger than it was 20 years ago, and to keep up pressure on neighbours to reverse the unilateral increases in macro quotas announced this year. Two final points. The cabinet secretary may be aware from her visit to Shetland of the view of local fishermen that they are unfairly targeted by fisheries protection vessels compared to those from non-UK countries. I urge transparency in the publication of figures relating to that issue. Finally, perhaps next year, consideration might be given to holding at least one round of coastal states talks in Shetland, the heart of Scotland's richest fishing grounds. Thank you, Ms Wishart. We now move to the open debate. First speaker will be Jenny Minto, for around four minutes, to be followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The Scottish Government's position has always been to deliver the best outcomes for Scotland's fishing interests. A world-class fishing nation delivering responsible and sustainable fisheries management and communities. Put simply, fish, folk, future. I was brought up in the East Newk of Fife. Fish was a constant through my childhood, my father's accounting business supported fishers, my higher geography project was on the development and sustainability of East Newk fishing and, of course, a fish supper at Aenster harbour was a top treat. I studied in Aberdeen and came face to face with the bigger industrial fishing industry there. As an accountant, I audited fishing businesses, reconciling catches with quotas. Now living in Argyll and Bute, I represent a different but extremely important element of Scotland's fishing industry, the west coast inshore fishers. I thank those that work so hard in this industry. Fisheries are correctly at evolved matter. There are significant differences in the industry within Scotland and across the UK. Differences should be recognised. Management of fish stocks needs to be tailored to individual circumstances. I am pleased that the Scottish Government, when constructing its core team for the coastal state negotiations, brought in voices and experiences from all elements of our fishing industry, including Communities Inshore Fisheries Alliance. It is a community-based organisation with the main aim of addressing the economic and physical needs of the Scottish inshore fisheries and its associated communities and businesses. It provides local wisdom, which, combined with the science, can ensure the most sustainable results. Coastal communities should not be cut off from opportunities just because they have not done something for a while and should not negate them from the chance to return to it. They can also comment from a practical perspective, for example, quota swaps from west to east and how they could impact negatively on the west coast fisheries and efforots fleet if discards are lost. By bringing everyone round the table, the Scottish Government is creating the space to ensure that Scotland's interests are protected. Leaving the EU has disproportionately impacted on Scotland, one of my fishers has lost 60 per cent of his market and is worried about the labour impact, too. Our fishing fleets have access to fewer valuable fish stocks. Until Scotland regains its independence and EU membership, the Scottish Government will continue to be actively involved in the coastal state negotiations, playing a key and active role in ensuring that Scotland's interests are protected. The Scottish Government will be an active partner, as the cabinet secretary has said, at international negotiations, especially when it comes to fish stocks in Scottish waters and access to Scottish waters by foreign vessels. Fish do not recognise international boundaries, therefore it is vital that they are jointly managed to ensure long-term sustainability, fish, folk and future. As I said, I grew up in the East Newk of Fife, home to the award-winning Scottish Fisheries Museum. Its collection traces the development of commercial fishing through the ages, including loch fine skiffs and camel-town ring nets from Argyllin Bute. It tells the story of a way of life that is so important to Scotland, one that through constant innovation has adapted and changed. Fishing survives because of the dedication of folk working often in harsh conditions. Sustainable fishing is crucial to its future. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Scotland's fishing industry finds itself at an important point in its history. At the start of this year, the United Kingdom re-established itself as an independent coastal state outside of the European Common Fisheries Policy. That is the basis for the negotiations that have taken place this year and for the UK's direct participation in international discussions around the industry. However, of course, we do not exist in isolation. We are aware of the need to work with our neighbours to provide positive results for those around the table. More than usual, we have been reminded this week that we have a responsibility to our natural environment. While we are driven to maximise opportunity for our fishing fleet, we must do so in a way that is sustainable, a way that leaves a positive legacy for future generations, as well as promoting biodiversity and securing habitats for marine life below our waters. I applaud the sector and fishermen across the country for the work that they have been doing to that end. We know around this chamber that the process of transition has involved problems for the sector. In the last year, we saw a number of competing issues that have had costs for our fishing fleet. Border arrangements in particular have been challenging as importers and exporters, as well as border agencies, adjusted to change rules at our frontier. It was important that government was able to respond. I welcomed in particular the creation of the Scottish Seafood Export Task Force, which brought together government, sector representatives and other stakeholders to drive improvements. That was a positive step, but it was also clear that direct support was also essential. The £23 million package of support for exporters in the sector built on the £100 million UK seafood fund demonstrating a will and action to back British fish and to work through the issues that have arisen. It is a reminder that we should also be looking to the future, investing in the sector, not only on existing trading links with our closest neighbours but seizing opportunities to expand them with partners around the world. This year, the Scottish Fishermen's Federation praised the tireless work of Team UK in which we include Marine Scotland around negotiations. The benefits of working together cannot be overstated. Quite properly, the discussions around the 2020 allowable catches and rules began quickly after arrangements that were concluded at the EU for 2021. It is in everyone's interest that the processes are prompt and certainty is provided at an early stage. The same principle applies in our relations with Norway, but it is worth reminding ourselves that this year's negotiations took place against the backdrop not only of a new relationship after leaving the EU, but as with virtually every employer in the country, a pandemic that has unpredictable effects on demand, logistics and supply. We have also seen the dispute with the French Government and the questions that it raised. There is no denying that recent times have been testing for the sector, but equally I am confident that it can and will thrive. My own region, the Highlands and Islands, has a long association with the fishing industry. There has been considerable change in the past decades, but the seafaring spirit of many of our communities is at the heart of their local identities. We have also had additional challenges as well. Shetland is one of Scotland's main ports for fish landing, as Beatrice Wishart pointed out. It is also dependent on travel links with and from the islands themselves to get produced to market even domestically. That is at the extreme end of a scale that affects all remote and rural fishing communities. We remember when part of the common fisheries policy there was wide agreement around the chamber that Scotland's fishing fleet deserved better. Scotland has a long close association with the sea. As with other parts of our food and drink sector, Scotland's fish exports are recognised as a quality product with a positive reputation. We believe in growing opportunity for the sector, in investing in ensuring that a positive, sustainable future can be assured. I will welcome any work that both the Scottish and UK Governments can bring forward to build that future. I now call Emma Harper to be followed by Rhoda Grant to run four minutes please, Ms Harper. The majority of fish stocks of interest to Scottish fishermen straddle international boundaries and there are significant differences across the four nations in the UK and the need for fishing to be tailored to our Scottish circumstances is important. Brexit has seriously damaged the Scottish fishing sector. People in Scotland did not vote for the UK's hard Brexit and chaotic fisheries policy. In contrast, I welcome that Scotland is committed to upholding its international reputation as a good global citizen. The Scottish Government has repeatedly demonstrated Scotland's commitment to the European family of nations reflecting the will of Scottish voters. The UK Government's isolationism, acting alone as a sovereign coastal state, undermines those efforts. Indeed, Scotland continues to pay the price for Tory Brexit. The UK Government has sold out Scotland's fishing sector. Industry experts predict that the UK fishing industry will make an eye-watering loss of £300 million by 2026 as a result of the UK Government's disastrous Brexit deal. That is despite Boris Johnson promising a sea of opportunity for Scotland's fishermen. The PM's sea of opportunity was supposed to benefit to the tune of £148 million by 2026 if it voted to leave the EU. However, Gary Taylor, a former DEFRA official and fisheries negotiator, estimated that fishing firms are facing losses of £64 million a year. The grave predictions have prompted the National Federation of Fishermen's organisations to request that the UK Government urgently publish an analysis of the cost of their disastrous Brexit. The CEO of NFO Barry Dees said that there are very few winners and a great many losers in the fishing industry as a result of Brexit. I welcome that this is not the approach that the Scottish Government is taking for the Scotland's fishing sector. Instead, the Scottish Government's negotiation strategy and priorities are influenced by high-quality science and take into account wider policy objectives, including socio-economic implications. As the minister has stated, she has highlighted the 12-point action plan in the future fisheries management strategy. The negotiation approach is underpinned by a set of guiding principles that will remain consistent each year and are consistent with the need to progress towards good environmental status. The Scottish Government will conduct negotiations on a principled rather than positional basis and will comply fully with a range of international conventions and obligations, including the UN convention on the law of the sea. That will allow sustainably managed stocks using total allowable catches where appropriate, including through considering introducing tax for current non-quota species. That is the approach that I want to see in Scotland, as opposed to the shambolic ideological stance that has been taken by the UK Government. The UK Government negotiated in principle just by leaving the EU and not working for the industry. Brexit has already had a huge impact across my South Scotland region, and it hit Dumfries and Galloway fishermen particularly hard. Only in December 2020, many boats, including ones that operate out of Carcubri and Garleston harbors in D&G, were tied to shore as businesses became unviable and were almost out of business completely. That is all because, on 31 December, new IT systems, regulatory, welfare and customs checks came into force for Scottish seafood exporters going to Europe, despite calls for a six-month transition period so that new systems and checks could be trialled. That was refused by the UK Government to the utter disbelief of the Scottish fishing sector. In preparation for today, I obtained a direct quote from a local fish processing business who stated that, although things have stabilised slightly, uncertainty still remains a huge concern because we do not know where we will be in 12 months. Presiding Officer, I welcome the approach that the Scottish Government is taking to those negotiations. I look forward to Scotland, as Ms Rachel Hamilton has commented. I look forward to Scotland being an independent, normal, independent coastal state, able to choose our own path and make our own decisions. I now call Rhoda Grant to be followed by Karen Adam up to around four minutes. Please, Ms Grant. Those negotiations are different this year, but they must be underpinned by sustainability and science, ensuring that the economic benefit to our communities is maximised while protecting stocks and the environment. The debate takes place during COP26, and the goals that we expect world leaders to realise must be at the forefront of our own deliberations. Brexit also lewms large, meaning that those negotiations are very different from those that have come before and, in many ways, will set the scene for the future. Regardless of how we feel or voted around Brexit, our negotiators must have the best interests of our country, environment and industry as their primary focus. We must try and realise the vision of a sea of opportunity. In those negotiations, it is the Scottish Government's responsibility to ensure effective management of fisheries to ensure that they deliver the best possible outcome for the industry, our communities and our environment. Getting that balance right is key to a sustainable future and a sustainable industry. We should strive to follow scientific advice and quotas, but we should also take steps to protect fisheries from effort shift. We have seen in the past that that has almost caused the collapse of sustainable fisheries on the west coast, something that Jenny Minth talked about earlier. Having MSC certification of our fisheries will be more important going forward as we see people awakening to sustainability and protecting our planet. We also have issues regarding distribution of quota. We have the opportunity now to move to a different pattern of distribution and management. As Colin Smith said, currently our smaller vessels lose out to those who own and operate larger boats because quota distribution penalises the smaller fleet. The Scottish Government must address that issue. It must look at our own fleets and the communities for good practice. For example, the Shetland Islands Council owns quota that is leased to local boats on the understanding that they land their catch locally as well. That needs investment in food processing in an area where there are staffing shortages. The Scottish Government needs to look at careers in the processing sector and how to make them more attractive. The problem of by-cash is still to be solved sustainably. I have long advanced a system where quota can be bought for by-cash at the point of landing. The price of the quota would make it possible to land by-cash without detriment but without profit as well. There also needs to be stiffer penalties on those who dispose of by-cash at sea. We have the opportunity to introduce conservation methods using science and fishing gear to be more selective in our fishing and to insist that those who access our waters do likewise. There is an opportunity this year to set and train solutions to the stubborn problems that have damaged the industry in the past. We need to look at transition to keep our own industry a greater share of the fish in our water but doing so would create a buffer when there is a need to reduce our total allowable catch. We can really farm our seas for the benefit of future generations and we must maximise the opportunity that we now face while recognising that this is a transition for our neighbours as well. Fisheries management is the responsibility of Scottish ministers. Whilst fishers themselves have a role to play in the responsible management of the seas, it is Scottish ministers who decide how our seas are used. Those who are concerned about their income today might not have the luxury of being able to look out for our future generations. Scottish Government must listen to the industry, look to their advice of good practice, to enable them to manage our seas in a way that enables our fishing communities to thrive while also protecting our precious environment and ensuring the long-term sustainability on the future ahead. My constituency of Banshire and Buckingham coast is a coastal fishing community, one of integrity with values embedded in trust and honesty. We often see that in highly skilled and dangerous professions because a person's word and integrity can mean the difference between life and death, posterity or hunger. The fishing industry has gone through many changes over the past few hundred years, diversifying from failing ports through to today, catching, landing and processing first class seafood exported all over the world. We are extremely lucky to have that on our doorstep, a major contributor to local jobs and our food supply chain, and a global standard highlighting to the world what Scotland has to offer. The topic for debate today is Scotland's approach to 2021 coastal states negotiations. If there is something that I wish to get across in my speech today, it is that, within all those discussions and debate, we must remember those at the heart of it all. We must listen to those with lived experience and those within the communities, those that have felt for too long that they have been played by politicians to leverage deals. With international relations being a reserved matter, it should be an essential ask that the UK Government listen to Scottish ministers, officials and fishing industry representatives before they undertake any negotiations and not least the very people living and working in it. Not just to listen but also to act on the advice given, particularly when the rhetoric of more fish to catch is thrown around without the sense to acknowledge that it is the type of fish that matters. Use the pun, but a red herring. Presiding Officer, at the beginning of this year, Fergus Ewing spoke to this chamber and painted a picture that illustrated how proud and historical fishing communities are left reeling as they feared the great Tory betrayal of Scottish fishing interests and how right he was, along with the fishing industry. I do believe that there is an underlying truth that is increasingly evident. I do not believe that those at Westminster proposing to care about our fishing and coastal communities in Scotland actually do so. Their deeds do not match their words. They may enjoy the finest seafood and fancy restaurants, but the people in the industry, the processors, the producers and those at risk of their lives out on the sea. I doubt that they care too much about them or the coastal communities in which they have lived for hundreds of years. As has been mentioned, the Tories promise Scotland's fishermen a sea of opportunity and the benefits of an independent coastal state. Instead, they have been exposed. At Elspeth MacDonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fisherman's Federation put it, the UK is now a coastal state with one hand tied behind our back. Those broken promises leave our fishermen woefully short of their expectations and their sense of betrayal is evident in their responses. Our vision for Scotland is to be a world-class fishing nation delivering responsible and sustainable fisheries management. My meeting throughout the summer with stakeholders made it clear that to mitigate the shortfall and available quota and deliver the best possible management structures in our waters, we must include in discussions the very people our plans directly affect. For example, marine health, our path to net zero, our good food nation and our economy depend on us including those coastal communities and fishing workforces and plan making, as it is them that we are asking to enact it. It is those who have suffered immense hardship and chaos because of political choices whose trust we need to build if we are to succeed in any of our aspirations. Presiding Officer, I finished by saying that we know that we have challenges ahead that our fishing industry is under immense pressure. I ask that, above all else, we take the example of the people that I represent and cultivate that fishing community spirit, be people of our word and, although difficult decisions lay ahead, we can have a prosperous and sustainable future ensuring that our fishing communities thrive for generations to come. I thank everyone involved in our fishing industry for all the hard work that they do, catching fish and all sorts of weather to bring high-quality food to our plates while also playing a vital part in the north-east economy. The UK Government has secured a deal that means that we are now an independent coastal state with control over our waters for the first time in decades, something that our fishermen asked for. Our fishing community can now be sure of a Government that stands up for their livelihoods rather than faceless bureaucrats in Brussels deciding their fate. As a result of the UK's exit from the EU, we are now in a position to develop our own policies in relation to fishery matters. In doing so, the UK Government indicated in its 2018 sustainable fisheries white paper that it is intended to be a champion of sustainable fisheries in every part of the UK. We can now directly improve the sustainability—yes, it will. I thank the member for giving way. If the picture painted by the member of Brexit is such an unqualified success, can he explain why fish processing businesses in my constituency cannot find a workforce in many cases? That is an interesting argument that the member raised that we should be so dependent on immigration as we go forward. When you think about immigration, that means that we are taking people and resource away from other countries. We must think whether that is a moral thing to do or whether we should be looking at modernising the industry that we have and growing the fishing industry that way. The focus of the UK Government on levelling up also extends to our fishing fleet in Scotland, with a new 100 million UK seafood fund. It will ensure that fish that are landed in the UK are processed in the UK, creating job opportunities across the supply chain. It will upscale the workforce and train new entrants, as well as investing in technology to put the UK at the cutting edge of new safe and sustainable fishing methods. What is certain is that the UK Government must secure the best deal for our fishing fleet in the negotiations that are moving forward. The Scottish Fisheries Federation has commended DEFRA and Marine Scotland for working tirelessly on those arrangements. The SNP Government is undermining our fishing industry with undue concern and insecurity about its future. The Scottish Fisheries Federation is rightly concerned about the coalition of chaos of the SNP and the Greens. They have been fishing in a sustainable way for many, many years. There can be few industries more aware of the impact of environmental change or doing more to preserve our oceans and fish stocks. We have to support their efforts, not put more barriers in their way. I hope that ministers will join me to meet leaders of the industry to understand their concerns and help them to flourish. I have a plea for the SNP Green Government. Instead of always being negative, why not try and be positive and help support the fishing industry? Play your part in supporting the industry and I will even give them a few suggestions where this devolved Government can help. Work with the UK Government to promote our fishing industry, support the £100 million fishing UK seafood fund and then look at the powers that you have, such as transport. The transport likes to Peterhead at a disgrace. No rails or producers have to rely on a single track road past the notorious toll of Burness. If you cared about the fishing industry, you would sort this out. Fish processors are reluctant to invest in improved buildings in Aberdeen because they would face a crippling business rates bill. If you cared about the fishing industry, you would sort this out. Look at the lack of investment in new automation equipment. If you cared about the fishing industry, you would sort this out. Ministers, you have the power, you just need to use them. In conclusion, this is an industry with a bright future within the UK. I hope that the devolved SNP Green Government will step up to the plate and support them in the same way that the UK Government is doing. It appears that this devolved Government wants to preside over failure. They seek failure to sow division and promote their nationalist cause. Well, we will not let that happen. We will defend the fishing industry from this coalition of chaos, and we will ensure that it has a bright future. I now call Ariane Burgess. We follow by Alistair Allan. Around four minutes, please, Ms Burgess. Thank you. I would like to start by thanking the fishers who risk their lives every day and everyone involved in the sector who provide food for us here in Scotland and abroad. Presiding Officer, today's debate, as we have heard, is an annual debate about negotiations on fishing quotas. Yes, we must talk about quotas, but if we want to ensure that we can talk about quotas 10 years from now, or 100, we should look at the whole way that we manage our seas. With COP26 happening in Glasgow all week, we have been talking about taking action to ensure a future for young people. If we want to pass on to them a vibrant fisheries sector, we must design Scotland's fisheries in a way that preserves fish stocks for future generations. What we have right now is layers of sticking plaster policies that do not tackle the problems of overfishing, the crisis in our inshore environments, and the sheer unfairness of how quotas are currently distributed. The system needs to be completely redesigned as a coherent whole to promote social, environmental and economic benefits for all and deliver fisheries for the future. The Scottish Greens look forward to working with and encouraging the Scottish Government to fulfil the commitments in the shared policy programme, including to consult on a cap to fishing activity in inshore waters and to deliver a suite of highly protected marine areas to enable habitats to recover, which will lead to far more productive seas. But we must go further. From speaking with stakeholders, I have learned that together we must end overfishing. Rachael Hamilton I thank Arrian Burgess for taking an intervention. I think that it is important to state in the chamber today that the position of the SNP green coalition is a point of rejoining the CFP and in independent Scotland. Is that your position? Arrian Burgess I think that the position for Scotland needs to be that Scotland needs to—the Scottish people need to truly have a voice and Scotland needs to see that any negotiation table wherever it is. We must to continue. We must ensure better enforcement and higher fines for infringements into marine protected areas. Only days ago, the alarm was raised of a trawler dredging in a protected area near Gerloch, moving off in the morning only to return later that day because of our lack of enforcement. We say that 30 per cent of our seas are protected, but I have heard stories of fishers who feel unable to speak out about illegal incursions into MPAs due to intimidation from other fishers. We need action on that. We must redistribute quotas to benefit more fishers and local food systems by providing local jobs and food. Quotas are currently given in a highly centralised way to a few individuals, allocating quotas based on previous track records, as we do now just means that those with the highest quotas now will end up with even more. A redistribution of quotas would unlock coastal communities and enable more people to make a living from the public good, which is our seas. We must establish a process that incentivises more selective and environmentally sensitive forms of fishing. Dredging and trawling releases much carbon into the water column as the entire aviation sector releases into the atmosphere. We must protect the blue carbon stored in our seaved and increase its ability to act as a vital carbon sink. One way to do that could be to add environmental conditionality to quotas, as we do on agricultural support payments. Finally, we must bring about a just transition, one that supports those in the sector to move to regenerative ways of working, prioritises economic opportunities in restoring the inshore environment and puts long-term investment into skills development in regenerative fishing methods. For a nation with so much coastline, we should be doing so much better for coastal communities. If we can do what I have outlined, we will be able to pass on to future generations healthy, thriving seas from which everyone can benefit. The fisheries negotiations are, if not exactly a festive occasion, at least a predictable feature of the advent season. This year, the UK has ensured itself less influence over the negotiations than ever before. The last few years could be described as challenging at best for Scotland's fishing industry and our coastal communities as a whole. The combination of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in huge losses of income and even the closure of some entire fishing enterprises. It is important that Scotland's voice is heard in whatever indirect way Scotland can ensure that in the on-going coastal states negotiations. With the talks surrounding 2021's catch agreements only being concluded in the summer, it is a cautiously hopeful sign that the negotiations for 2022 seem to be proceeding in a more timious manner, with agreements for pelagic stocks being signed at the end of October. Despite the swifter progression of the next coastal states negotiations, Scotland's fishermen still face a myriad of difficulties. Although fishermen were promised that Brexit would bring welcome benefits to their businesses, the last minute deal instead sacrificed the needs of the Scottish fishing industry all too quickly. Who can forget the gridlocks at the Anglo-French border, or the Northern Irish ports in January of this year, with tons of good-quality Scottish produce going to waste due to the mountains of additional paperwork and costs brought about by Brexit? Labour shortages—which I know that one member from the Conservative benches seems to completely, casually dismiss as irrelevant—were already a concern for both the catching and processing sectors, not least in my constituency in the Western Isles and have been further exacerbated this year against the backdrop of a lack of seasonal workers across multiple industries. As we have heard from the Government today, the protection of our marine environment is one of the most important ways that Scotland can be a world leader in terms of carbon. Scotland's seas are estimated to hold more carbon than the total stored in land resources such as our peatlands, forests and soils. However, I want to say that fishing deserves a future as part of all this—a future in which designations are managed at a genuinely local level and where the concerns of some of our most fragile communities are listened to. It is essential that those working in the fishing industry can access the right government information, support and initiatives. It seems that support schemes are in high demand given that the marine fund Scotland was suddenly closed at the beginning of October due to the high level of applications for the funding. I am pleased that Marine Scotland, in its own words, has taken stock of the marine fund Scotland commitments and therefore decided to reopen the fund as of Monday this week. To conclude, Scotland's fishing industry is a vital component of the economic, social and cultural life of communities around Scotland's coastline. In my constituency, it represents overwhelmingly small businesses and small concerns. I hope that the coastal states negotiations provide a platform by which to remind ourselves as much as any other country of that fact and the importance of that fact in the months and the years that lie ahead. I am delighted to be speaking in this important debate this afternoon. The fishing industry is of national importance to Scotland, of course, but it is integral to constituents in my region, particularly in and around Peterhead and Fraserborough and across as many smaller fishing ports along the north-east coast. The industry is one so often at the forefront of the rhetoric in the constitutional limbo into which two Governments have led us, but so often in the background of real considerations. So often it is used as a symbol of national pride, of culture and of history, but so often it is contemporary needs that are forgotten. Its importance is often heralded but where investment rarely follows those pronouncements. The negotiations that we are discussing today are incredibly important. The voice of the industry and those communities that form that industry must be the ones that drive our position. That is, of course, within the context of Brexit, where those on the Conservative benches drove the industry to the front and centre or their analysis of the future of the UK only to bring chaos to that industry following a deal with the EU that failed to deliver on the promises that they had made. The scale of the industry remains significant. Too often Scottish fishing is discussed in an industry of the past as a remnant of a Scotland that is gone, but that simply does not bear any real analysis. Latest figures show nearly 400,000 tonnes landed by Scottish vessels in a year with a value of around £600 million. That is invaluable economic activity, and as Colin Smyth talked about earlier on, much more can and should be done to capture economic activity on those shores in the communities where our fishing fleet is based and can be expanded. The product itself is something that we should cherish and which we should consume ourselves more of. A national diet containing more fish would be a healthier diet, and we must consider how our food system makes that more attractive and affordable. I believe that great days remain ahead for Scottish fishing, and that is why those negotiations are integral to the Scottish Government doing more to protect and enhance the industry. Colin Smyth clearly set out Scottish Labour's approach to those talks, which includes a commitment to regeneration and investment in the communities that support and house the fishing industry. It is clear that investment is key to the industry's future. I believe that Rhoda Grant set out a compelling case for the application of new technologies to ensure sustainability in our fishing industry for the long term, and I think that there is much more that our Government can do to support innovation in those areas. Not only do we need the physical infrastructure of keys, processing facilities and logistics for the industry to thrive, we need places and people as well. There could be no bright future for an industry that is based in locations where there has been a chronic lack of investment for generations, where young people often do not stay and where the skills pipeline is based on opportunity rather than on a structure that is put in place to plan for industry and expansion, which is the role of the Government that we need to hear more about. Within those discussions, we must absolutely remember our environmental obligations and our sustainable fishing commitments—more important to the industry, frankly, than to anyone else—and to work with them to ensure that those obligations are met. I wish the Government well in those negotiations and hope that our constructive feedback can form part of its position in those talks. I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate and thank other members for their contributions. As a child, I spent every Saturday morning being dragged to Aberdeen fish market, where my father, then an accountant in the fishing industry—there seems to be a theme here—stood staring at landing prices on a big chalkboard. Then, as now, we took this wonderful food source for granted. The 2021 coastal states negotiations are a crucial event for Scotland's fish producers, processors and the wider supply chain, as well as an important forum to discuss how coastal states can work together to ensure that the fishing industry is sustainable in the long term. The UK Government's decision to impose a hard Brexit during a pandemic has predictably made those negotiations harder than they would otherwise have been. Across Scotland, more than 12,000 people are employed in the fishing and processing industries, worth more than £2.2 billion in 2018. According to Peter Cook from Opportunity North East, the turnover of the local seafood processing sector is around £700 million per annum, accounting for 32 per cent of total north-east food and drink sales. I am proud that my constituency of Aberdeen South and North Concardin is home to several local processing businesses. Recently, I spent small business week meeting local businesses in the constituency, including two local processors, long-standing family-run businesses producing specialty products using fish sourced across Scotland. Both businesses are a key part of the local economy, employing skilled local workers, supplying the local food and drink sector and exporting their products as far afield as China. However, it has been rough. Both found themselves navigating the Covid-19 pandemic when along came the disaster that is Brexit, the resultant uncertainty over workforce availability, export cost increases and diminishing export markets. Despite that, both businesses have shown extraordinary resilience. Only in September, John Ross, Master Curer and Smoker celebrated their gold star award from the Guild of Fine Foods for their whisky smoked salmon. Jay Charles, a third-generation family-run business, took the brave decision to expand their online business during the pandemic, remaining open and building up online deliveries. That is now a thriving part of their business. At the last meeting of the Northeast Scotland Fisheries Development Partnership, Mike Park of the Scottish White Fish Producers Association updated on the challenges that quota constraints and loss of access to fishing grounds in Norway and Fero were having on the industry. The importance of the coastal negotiations therefore cannot be underestimated if we are to continue to have a thriving post-processing sector. According to Andrew Charles, it is absolutely vital that robust sustainable science supports the total allowable catch, agreed and total accountability of the stock catch is properly managed and policed. As an independent coastal state, it is therefore vital that we have a robust independent fisheries management force. The failure of the Scottish Government to build good working relationships with our nearest and most important quota trading partners will regrettably require robust policing going forward. In that regard, I would ask the Scottish Government to provide clarity on what increases in fishery protection might have to be budgeted for now that we cannot rely on European co-operation. To conclude, never has there been a time when these negotiations are more important and never has there been a time, in my view, when the case for independence has been so evident. I look forward to working with the cabinet secretary to ensure that their success for all involved in the sector, especially for businesses in Aberdeen South and North Kincardin. We will now move to closing speeches and I call Sarah Boyack to speak for around six minutes. To the most part, this has been a very good debate this afternoon. There has been some very constructive comments and there is clear agreement on the need to support our coastal communities and our fishing industries but to do so in the context of the climate and nature emergency and to deliver sustainable fishing. As my colleagues have laid out, Scottish Labour believes that we need to be looking at the coastal state negotiations and address five key areas in it and Colin Smyth outlined them at the start. I will just summarise them again because they are crucial, I think. Firstly, to prevent overfishing to enhance local food supply chains. Secondly, for an immediate review of how new and existing quotas are allocated. Thirdly, to end fish being landed abroad. I will come back to that and to invest in building capacity and infrastructure and fishing keys as well as in the processing sector to help to regenerate our all-too-often neglected coastal communities to get a fairer share and a greater share of the fishing in Scotland waters for Scotland's fishers. Lastly, to make sure that quotas should be used to incentivise a change towards lower impact and less by-catch forms of fishing. I think that those are critical issues. As COP26 takes place and for the events that I have attended, it is absolutely clear that there is a wide spread agreement that we have to act now. We need to halt global warming at 1.5 degrees. That also means addressing our nature emergency, whether it is the pollution of our waters due to plastic or waste or whether it is due to overfishing. That is why we need to support our fishing industries going forward. It needs more political leadership from the Scottish Government. In a briefing that we got in June this year, SIFT, the Sustainable Insurance Fisheries Trust, highlighted that Scotland's marine areas play a central but often overlooked role in the nation's carbon budget. The sea and many marine species and habitats, including our kelp forests, sequester, carbon dioxide. Of particular importance is the role that marine sediments play in storing carbon. Scotland's sea loss are some of the richest carbon stores on earth, containing many more times carbon per unit than Scotland's terrestrial peatlands, yet, although we protect our peatlands and we are looking at restoring them, marine sediments continue to be disturbed and damaged by heavy mobile fishing gears, so we need to act. We need to encourage and support sustainable local fisheries such as the Clyde Creel fisheries and other local organisations like them. Scotland's marine assessment 2020 also found that fishing was the most significant and widespread pressure on Scotland's seas, noting particularly that bottom trawling and other mobile bottom catching fishing methods have led to widespread changes in our ecosystem. We need to address those methods, reduce them and also incentivise change. That is critical for our industry for the future. Additionally, discarding practices are resulting in vast volumes of fish being killed and thrown back at sea. That is environmentally damaging, but it also contributes to food waste. Given that many are juvenile fish throwing back because they are too small to market, it reduces next year's fish catch. That issue was supposedly made illegal in 2019, but apparently continues today as an open secret in the fisheries management. Most aggregiously, an additional uplift quota was created and given to help transition to no discard fisheries, but rather than incentivising change, it has been used by some in the fishing sector to continue to discard compounding overfishing and resulting in yet more environmental harm. Now is the time to use the powers set out in the 2020 fisheries act and create marine protection areas. The Arun marine protected area is a perfect example of the benefits of this kind of protection. Fastly improves the seabed and biodiversity in the area, but it also provides a safe haven for fry and increases fishing yields in the surrounding areas. There is also good evidence of how the Gaelic language is helping to protect our fisheries through the local knowledge passed down through generations. It is a cultural issue, as well as an industry one, and it shows how deeply intertwined our communities are with the seas that they work with and the need for us to support them on that local level. Now, there has been an interesting set of exchanges across the chamber where there has been disagreements. At the end of the day, fisheries management is the responsibility of Scottish ministers. While fishing communities themselves have a key role to play in responsible management of the seas, Scottish ministers have a critical role in deciding how seas are used and fewer incomprehensible regulations can result in the race to the bottom. That is a powerful Parliament, so I hope that we use the agreement that we have across the chamber to support more decisive action. I want to comment on the vital contribution that fishing makes to local economies. That has been some of the most powerful and emotional contributions today, because colleagues know that. Fishing is an industry at the heart of many communities with a history and a culture of its own, and we need to protect that. I want to say that I find it really ironic today that some of the conservative contributions about Brexit are just not accepting the reality of the impact. If you look at the impact on demersal fishers, for example in Douglas Ross's own area, fisheries are being landed abroad by passing Scotland's economy, our food system and jobs, and many of those large fishing businesses have elected to land the fish that they catch directly abroad to processing factories, so we need change. Jobs are flying out of the north-east fishing towns, scippers have been in the brink of financial ruin, as others have said, and yet the Conservatives are patting themselves on the back. 55 per cent of macro-cop by Scottish fishing vessels last year was landed directly to a foreign port. That cannot be acceptable and we need action. I would finish by saying that we urgently need the Scottish and the UK Governments to work together. We know that they are not going to agree, but they have to represent that the Scottish Government has to be respected, has to be at the top table of the UK Government, we need engagement, we need the sharing of expertise and knowledge, and crucially, as Michael Marra said, we need to make sure that funding that was mentioned by MSPs across the chamber actually reaches our coastal communities to support the sustainable fishing and the jobs that we have all said today that we support. Let's get that constructive collaboration. People do not need to agree on everything, but to support our fishing communities, to support our environment, and crucially, jobs in our local communities. We do need that working together. I begin by apologising for arriving slightly late in the chamber for the start of the debate. I missed the first minute of the cabinet secretary's speech. I make up for that by traditionally offering best wishes to her in the upcoming negotiations, not least because it will be the first time that she has participated in those negotiations as cabinet secretary. Those benches hope that she secures as beneficial a deal as possible for Scotland's fisheries sector working in tandem with the UK Government. Can I also offer the thanks from those benches to all those who work in that sector, whether they are some 4,700 fishers employed on Scottish registered vessels, those who work in our processing firms or those who work to promote our fantastic fish and shellfish products? Covid-19 has brought immense logistical challenges to all sectors of the economy, not least our fishing industry. We praise on those benches all the work that those in this industry have done to adapt to the rapidly changing environment produced by the pandemic. It has been a volatile time indeed. As a Highlands and Islands MSP, I am highly aware of the importance of this sector to the areas that I represent. As a result, we must treat this debate and the upcoming negotiations with the utmost seriousness. That was a point that was made by Rhoda Grant and Colin Smyth. It is important to recognise the variety in the fishing sector. They spoke about the fact that we must remember the smaller boats as well as the larger vessels, the larger boats and the larger businesses in the industry. However, we must recognise that, on the western seaboard of Scotland, that plainly involves more nephrops fishing than pelagic fishing. It is important to acknowledge the very diverse nature of the sector that we are debating. Of course, it is disappointing that some in other parties have used this debate to resurrect old arguments about the constitution and fight old battles over Brexit. That does nothing for our fishing industry and those who work in it. Those who work in our fishing industry want to see politicians come up with solutions to problems, not merely regurgitate the same old grievances that have plagued our politics for so long. The fact is that we are now an independent coastal state. With that comes an ability, in the long term, to use that status to our competitive advantage to benefit our fishing communities and our wider economy. You said a moment ago that the Scottish Government should work in conjunction with the UK Government. Given that, since the 1970s, successive Tory Prime Ministers have consistently let the Scottish industry down, do you not think that the time is right now for the Scottish Government to be the lead negotiator in anything that is going forward? Donald Cameron? No, I don't at all, and I don't accept the premise of that intervention at all. The fact is that we have delivered an independent coastal state that the United Kingdom now is, and we have an ability to use that to benefit our fishing communities. Of course, I accept that we are facing short-term challenges. We recognise that, and we want to face them head-on. I welcome initiatives from the UK Government to mitigate the short-term impacts of Britain's exit from the EU. Others have spoken about the establishment of the £23 million seafood disruption support scheme, which is open to those who export fish and shellfish to the EU. I also acknowledge that the UK Government has released an initial £24 million of funding from its £100 million UK seafood fund, which will help businesses to develop technology, trial new gear and support world-class research to improve productivity and a long-term sustainability of the industry. However, the response to those short-term challenges goes far beyond financial investment, as that is important. The UK Government has met regularly with the industry and has worked closely with Marine Scotland on the new 2021 arrangements. That has been met with praise from the sector. At the chief executive of the SFF, Alspeth Macdonald, we know that the UK team has worked hard for several months to achieve the best outcome that was possible. We are very grateful to them for their efforts. It is clear, of course, that much progress has been made, but it is also evident that more must be done to secure a strong deal in the upcoming negotiations, which benefits all parts of the fishing industry. It was positive to learn, for example, that the total tonnage of pelagic landings increased by 13 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019, and the total value of the increase by 6 per cent. That was acknowledged by the executive office of the Shetland Fishermen's Association, which noted that it brings a long-awaited end to past practice in which the EU used to hand substantial amounts of Scottish quota to Norway. I do, of course, recognise that disappointing reports that there were falls in both commercial and shellfish tonnage and value. However, the Scottish Government's recently published Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics 2020 document suggests that that drop in tonnage was in large part due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the restrictions placed on the industry, and also the decline in demand from the hospitality sector during the period where restrictions were at their most severe. We cannot treat that as a one-off, and it is clear that we must ensure that both those specific parts of the sector can recover and thrive in the coming years. Now, unlike the SNP, who continued to put their faith in the common fisheries policy, those benches believe that the ability of the UK to deliver free trade deals with other states and trading blocks will provide opportunities for our sectors to go. A few years ago, I met with the owner of a local shellfish processor in Alasdorff Island's own constituency, and I asked him about his opinion of Britain's exit from the EU and how it might impact his business. He was optimistic. He told me that the future growth of his business was not dependent on our membership of the EU, but rather on the ability to access and benefit from the growing demand for Scottish shellfish in Asia. That is not to say that many businesses in the shellfish sector have not felt an impact from the new arrangements with the EU, and it would be wrong to suggest otherwise. More must clearly be done to help the sector in the immediate aftermath of our exit from the EU. However, it is an indication that many businesses see greater opportunities beyond the confines of the EU. It is obvious that both the Scottish Government and the UK Government should be working together to achieve those outcomes. There will be many excellent contributions across the chamber. I agree with Michael Marra when he says that there is a wider context of skills, housing and livelihoods in general behind what we are debating. Rachel Hamilton concentrated on the importance of getting young people into the industry. Douglas Lumsen spoke about the benefits of being autonomous as an independent coastal state. Many of the Labour party members, such as Ariane Burgess, rightly drew attention to the importance of sustainability in the week of COP. Correct, of course, to remind us that sustainability cannot just be a catchphrase. It has to mean something in practice. In closing, we recognise that those negotiations are of immense importance. We want to see constructive talks that deliver growth across the sector. Now is the time to deliver for Scotland's fishing communities, and for that reason alone, we should all unite in seeking a positive outcome. I thank everyone who has taken part in the debate today for their speeches and interventions. There have been constructive moments in it, and I know that there has been a wide range of views on issues that are aired. Those are matters that affect those of us who live in and represent rural, coastal and island communities, but they are issues that affect all of us. The debate this afternoon has covered a lot of different areas, but it also shows just the breadth and complexity of our marine economy. We are approaching the annual negotiations in the spirit of co-operation and partnership with our coastal state neighbours and allies, and building on the relationships that we have established over the course of many years. We are really fortunate that we have some of the most respected and experienced fisheries managers in Europe, and I am confident that they will come back with a good deal for Scotland and the Scottish industry. Our positions and principles are based on the best science, the most up-to-date evidence available, and we really look forward to negotiating with our international friends and partners on that basis. I look forward to reporting back to Parliament on the conclusion of those negotiations. A number of valuable points were raised in the debate, and I really want to try and address as many as possible, as I can in my closing remarks. For any of those that I miss, I urge members to contact me, and I am more than happy to follow up. I would like to address some of the points that have been made on funding so far. I think that Rachael Hamilton talked about that in her contribution, as did a number of other members. It is unfair to paint this in a way in which we are comparing and contrasting the approach when, in Scotland, we are not even getting the funds that were promised to us in Brexit. As I said in response to Rachael Hamilton's point, we received only £14 million of replacement at the European Maritimes and Fisheries Fund when we should have received £62 million. That should have been our allocation. The UK Government has actively shortchanged our coastal communities by passing our devolved Government at every turn. It would be useful for the cabinet secretary to set out how the £180 million transition fund for moving away from the EU has worked for the fisheries industry, as well as the extra help that was given in relation to the veterinary capacity and the centralised hub, because we have not had any detail of that. It is only right and fair that the UK Government covers the costs of its approach to Brexit. That is why we are in this mess, and it is only right that the UK Government compensates us for it. I will be addressing some of the other points in funding, too. A point was raised about new entrants as well. That is where the marine fund that we have in place is our replacement to EMFF. The funding that we have, we are using to support young fishers to purchase their first vessel. That is an element of the marine fund. Another important matter that was raised by a number of members across the chamber today was about the IC's advice, particularly the advice that has been put forward on Cod, which was a point that Beatrice Wishart raised. We recognise how challenging that advice is as it stands. That is a priority area of focus for us going into those negotiations. I know that officials are doing all that they can to make sure that we get as good an outcome as possible for the stock. We are submitting a technical service request to ICs to get a further evaluation on the assumptions that are made using the most up-to-date information available. I also want to add that the UK is a contracting party to the IC's convention, and, on 1 January this year, it signed a memorandum of understanding with ICs to enable the UK to directly receive that advice. We will not hesitate to use our membership of ICs to challenge the advice or findings where we believe that that is not robust. Beatrice Wishart also mentioned the boarding of UK vessels and called for transparency on that regard. I just wanted to highlight that we do now proactively publish that information, and I would be happy to contact the member with further details of that. Another point that I would like to discuss is the positive future that we all want for our fisheries and seafood industry in Scotland. I think that that is probably the one solid point of consensus that we have across the chamber that has emerged from the debate today. Karen Adam also touched on a really important point, too, when she mentioned the good food nation. Our fishers provide us with a sustainable, nutritious source of protein that we all want to enjoy and ensure that all in Scotland and those further afield can enjoy, too. We all want to see a successful industry in Scotland. Unlike the Tories, we cannot be blind to the significant barriers that are in the way of that and that need urgent and critical interventions from the UK Government. Emma Harper, Alasdair Allan and others mentioned the processing industry and, again, the critical shortages of labour that we are seeing here because of the lack of freedom of movement and the fact that an end has now been put to that. That is also because of the point blank refusal of the UK Government to address that in any meaningful way. Will visas have been introduced for poultry workers, butchers or for HDV drivers? How successful any of those will be gauging by the take-up so far is anyone's guess. There has been nothing specifically to help this sector. When you add on to that, the continual increase in costs that they are facing, the non-tariff barriers that Alasdair Allan raised, those are challenges that are not going away and some businesses are on a knife edge. I am really sorry, I need to make some progress. We need that immediate intervention, but we also need to look at what we can do in the longer term to address those challenges. Of course, addressing the skills shortages and gaps is something that we are looking to address, but that can only be done in the longer term. At this point, I want to come back to funding here because the Tories have talked about all the powers that have come back to ministers in Scotland. Again, I reiterate what I said earlier, we should also get the funding to go with that and to reflect it. The Tory members talked of £100 million of funding that has been announced, but that completely bypasses devolved Governments in areas of policy that are fully devolved. Douglas Lumsden also mentioned funding for transformation. I also want to highlight that we provide funding for that through our food processing, marketing and co-operation grant, which I think is important to highlight. I just want to make reference to a few other initiatives as I am moving towards bringing the debate to a close, because this Government is wholly committed to the sustainable development of the fishing industry. We recognise that Scotland's inshore fisheries are a most valuable asset. They make a significant contribution to the economic and cultural fabric of our coastal and island communities. In early 2022, we will be consulting on the inshore fisheries management elements of the Scottish Green Party agreement, which had been highlighted by Ariane Burgess. A cap on inshore fishing activity is one of the measures, and that represents an important step in our inshore fisheries policy development. There is another point that I want to address in relation to marine protected areas and highly protected marine areas. Again, I think that I mentioned by Ariane Burgess and Sarah Boyack in our closing comments. Making space for nature is vital in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises, and the shared marine space has become increasingly valuable and contested, especially as net zero industries emerge and as we strive to restore the rich biodiversity of Scotland's seas. Marine protected areas are a vital part of that restoration process. Our Scottish marine protected area network already covers 37 per cent of our waters, and we have committed to delivering fisheries management measures in existing marine protected areas by 2024. Now, we will go even further by designating 10 per cent of our waters as highly protected marine areas by 2026. Those will provide a higher level of protection and allow for additional recovery and enhancement of the marine environment. It is the conservation measures such as those that will help to halt biodiversity loss and provide that critical buffer in our fight to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. They will protect the resources and industries that we all rely on and ensure that we can continue to benefit from our rich seas for many years and, of course, for many generations to come. The economic link is one of the other ways that will also benefit, and I think that that is an important point to highlight that I also mentioned in my opening remarks. The Scottish Government is committed to amending the economic link arrangements for Scottish fishing vessels, and that will increase the amount of fish that is landed into Scotland and will really broaden the return to our nation from fishing, and thereby extending the benefits to our coastal communities. Presiding Officer, in drawing this debate to a close, I want to offer a couple of final reflections. The fishing industry faces many challenges, and, like many in this country, it has struggled in the past two years because of the pandemic, but it has also suffered because of the botched Brexit deal that has been inflicted on it by the Tories. The Government, in contrast, has a vision for the fishing industry in Scotland and a clear plan in place under our future fisheries management strategy. We believe in an industry that is based on science, an industry based on evidence and an industry that has sustainability as its core principle. The outcomes that we seek at the annual fisheries negotiations are aligned to this vision. We are not looking for a deal that benefits vested interests or that betrays a whole industry as the Brexit deal is done. We are committed to delivering the right deal for Scotland, a deal that allows our fishers to work today while preserving our shared marine heritage for tomorrow. This is the third time that I have had to raise the use of Government-initiated questions by the Scottish Government in announcing significant and substantive policy. Today, a draft hydrogen action plan was published by the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Transport back by £100 million of public spending commitments. The announcement for this publication was done via another underhanded GIQ, S6W-04328. The Presiding Officer has previously stated that the Scottish Government should reflect on the use of GIQs when Parliament is sitting. It has not. From the chair, the Presiding Officer has also stated on multiple occasions that all significant and substantive announcements should be made to the Parliament whenever that is possible. That has been ignored. I will tell members about the arguments that the SNP Minister for Parliamentary Business has made in the bureau. The minister has said that he has encouraged ministers to attend the chamber to deliver statements and submit themselves to the scrutiny of members' questions, and he appears to be uncomfortable when they do not. I take the minister at his word. We have no platform to scrutinise the action plan this week. There is now a clear pattern of disrespect that is shown by the Scottish Government, and I see no indication that it will change its ways. What course of action is open to us as parliamentarians if everything we do, including our scrutiny of the executive, is continuously controlled and constrained by the Scottish Government? Will you ensure that formal guidance is issued to the Scottish Government on the use of GIQs? I thank the member for his point of order. I would say that GIQs are a recognised mechanism through which the Government can make announcements. As the Presiding Officer has previously set out, significant announcements should be made to Parliament in the chamber whenever possible. There will of course be instances in which that is not possible. I have not had the opportunity to study in detail the GIQ that was referred to by the member, but I remind the member that, in fact, there are already guidance in place. Secondly, GIQs can, of course, be followed up with debates, and the member may wish to raise that at the bureau. Deputy Presiding Officer, last week, the Scottish Government agreed to provide a statement on incineration and the much delayed deposit return scheme, yet now we have a new topic on towards a circular economy. I seek your guidance on how we can have full scrutiny on those incredibly important topics, and I would welcome an additional statement on the circular economy. I thank the member for his contribution. I would say a few things first. The bureau discussed the matter, and the Parliament actually agreed to the statement in terms of the subject matter proposed being made, I believe, in Wednesday of next week. I understand that that is the current position. Obviously, there would be the opportunity for the member's business manager to be patient of that matter in the bureau on Tuesday of next week, but my understanding is that the substance of the statement proposed is, as agreed last week. I was saying before those contributions that the debate on, which I should say, I think, for the record, on Scotland's approach to 2021 coastal state negotiations has been indeed concluded. It is now time to move on to the next item of business. The next item of business is consideration of business motion 2056, in the name of George Adam, on behalf of the parliamentary bureau setting out a business programme. I call on George Adam to move the motion. I do not see that any member has asked to speak on the motion, and therefore I would put the question that motion 2056 be agreed. Are we all agreed? Yes. We are all agreed, and the motion is therefore agreed too. The next item of business is consideration of two parliamentary bureau motions. I ask George Adam on behalf of the parliamentary bureau to move motions 2057 and 2058 on designation of lead committees. The question on those motions will be put at decision time to which we have now come. There is one question to be put as a result of today's business, and I propose to ask a single question on two parliamentary bureau motions. Does any member object? No member objects. The question, therefore, is that motions 2057 and 2058, in the name of George Adam, on designation of lead committees, be agreed. Are we all agreed? Yes. The motion is, therefore, agreed, and that concludes decision time, and we will now move on to the next item of business after a very short pause.