 The next item of business is a statement by Manny Gougeon on Scotland's approach to 2023 coastal state fisheries negotiations securing principled sustainable outcomes. The cabinet secretary will take questions at the end of our statement, therefore there should be no interventions or interruptions and I invite the cabinet secretary for around 10 minutes please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I welcome this opportunity to set out Scotland's approach to the on-going negotiations with coastal state partners on fishing opportunities for 2024 and I hope it's an approach that Parliament can support. This is my third year leading Scotland through the annual negotiations and every year the objective is the same, to protect Scotland's interests. These negotiations are crucial for Scotland, providing economic opportunities for our coastal communities and safeguarding the health of fish stocks and ecosystems for generations to come. Going into 2024, I want to build on the successes of last year's negotiations, which resulted in outcomes worth around £500 million to Scotland. They also have a role to play in the evolution of Scotland's world-class fishing sector and help to deliver a range of the objectives embedded in our fisheries management strategy, national beneath plan and blue economy vision. As in previous years, we will be fully involved in multilateral, bilateral and trilateral negotiations on shared stocks and exchanges of opportunities. We will also take part in meetings of the Northeast Atlantic Fisheries Commission, where management measures in international waters will be discussed. The Scottish Government's overarching approaches to this year's negotiations remain consistent with our already well-established principles and they are underpinned by our national and international commitments. We remain committed to ensuring that Scotland continues to be a reasonable and co-operative partner within the UK and on the international stage. All but one of Scotland's quota stocks are shared with other coastal states, meaning that the most sustainable management measures are best agreed jointly and in collaboration with our negotiating partners. As usual, the scientific advice for 2024 presents a mixed picture, but I am pleased to see positive indications for the health of some of our key North Sea and West of Scotland stocks. That is a testament to the efforts of Scottish fishers who have engaged and worked so closely with us to protect and recover those stocks. We will continue to advocate for responsible fisheries management approaches informed by the best available scientific evidence. That means working within environmental limits and making sure that fish stocks are managed sustainably to help to provide a resource for future generations and safeguard the diversity of the marine ecosystem. As a guiding principle, we will follow the scientific advice where appropriate, working towards fishing at maximum sustainable yield or MSY. However, we should not be constrained to follow the advice when this is not the most appropriate course of action. Socioeconomic factors, potential choke risks and total allowable catch fluctuations must also be considered in line with national and international commitments, including the joint fisheries statement. For data-limited stocks not assessed under the MSY approach, we view the precautionary approach as a viable path to sustainability. We are committed, as a Government and as a fishing nation, to recovering stocks that are in decline by introducing appropriate management measures, reducing discarding, addressing choke situations and balancing the socio-economic challenges of negative scientific advice for our key commercial stocks in particular. We will continue to seek to mitigate large tack-flack fluctuations at a sensible level, both to reduce and manage the potential adverse effects for offshore and onshore fishing businesses and to protect the long-term sustainability of stocks. When deviating from advice, my mandate to Scotland's negotiation team makes clear that we must adopt an incremental approach to achieve sustainable catch levels with a focus on at least maintaining or increasing spawning stock biomass whenever possible. Sometimes this approach may span several years. At the same time, this Government remains wholly committed to identifying areas where additional benefits to Scotland's fishing sectors, both catching and onshore, can be secured while being mindful of the impact on our negotiating partners. Our goal is to be seen as a strong yet fair partner in negotiations. Talks for 2024 are now well underway and, as I speak, Scotland's negotiators are in London for bilateral and trilateral consultations with the EU and Norway, with further rounds scheduled over the coming weeks to discuss a wide range of stocks. Consultations have already been held to set catch limits for the coastal state pelagic stocks in parallel to discussions on longer-term management elements, including sharing. Next week, coastal states will come together again for the annual meeting of the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, and in December we will begin bilateral discussions with the Faroe Islands on possible exchanges of opportunities for 2024. I want to thank fishing and environmental stakeholders for their close and constructive engagement with the negotiations teams in the lead-up to those discussions. Their input will continue to be invaluable as the negotiations progress. We have three main priorities for this year's TAC negotiations. The top priority within the trilateral and UK-EU bilateral is the newly-defined Northern Shelf Cod stock. The latest scientific information gives us a strong basis for transforming the way that we manage the stock. It shows an extremely positive picture for the health of the north-western stock, better reflecting what fishers have been seeing on the ground, and it is also a step change away from the previous zero-tack advice for the west of Scotland. Our aim is to secure catch limits that reflect the positive outlook, including an appropriate and evidence-based allocation to the west of Scotland. I do not underestimate the complexity of those changes, but coastal states now have the information to make better management choices for fishers, and it is time to get that right. Secondly, monkfish remains a priority for Scottish interests for 2024. That is a stock of key socioeconomic importance to many Scottish vessels, and I have instructed my negotiators to work to mitigate any further cuts in quotas next year. I also look forward to the completion of the benchmark on the stock early next year, which will then help to inform discussions about the stock's future management. Finally, I have instructed officials to seek further discussion with our negotiating partners on the approach to stocks where decreases are routinely proposed simply because of the methodologies being used by ICs rather than because of actual changes in stock dynamics. Scientific advice is critical to sustainable fisheries management and decision making, but we need to have confidence that we are working with and making decisions based on the best available evidence. As well as setting tax, we will seek to agree exchanges of opportunities with two of our closest fishing neighbours, Norway and the Faroe Islands. I am pleased that we were able to agree on exchanges of opportunities for 2023 with both parties, and those bilaterals provide much welcomed additional opportunities and flexibility for Scotland's fishing industry. In particular, the Faroese deal is enabling our larger whitefish vessels to divert effort into Faroese waters, which in turn puts less pressure on stocks in Scottish waters. For 2024, I have instructed my negotiators to continue to seek balanced and equitable bilateral arrangements, building on our long-established relationships and our shared goals to see fish stocks managed sustainably. As usual, advice quota changes will need to be considered carefully when exploring exchanges of opportunities. My priority here is to secure balanced deals that enhance the package of opportunities available to Scottish fishers next year, and I appreciate the importance of both bilaterals in achieving that. We are also fully involved in the multilateral negotiations as part of the UK coastal state. I am pleased that coastal state consultations on shared highly migratory pelagic stocks concluded with agreement to set 2024 catch limits in line with the scientific advice. Those stocks are significant for Scotland economically. The need to agree sharing arrangements is becoming urgent. Parties have set individual quotas in recent years, which, when totalled, are above agreed limits. That is not a situation that can continue. While progress has been positive and dialogue is constructive with most of our fishing partners, there is, of course, still further to go. Accordingly, in those multilateral negotiations, a top priority for Scotland is for the parties to agree comprehensive, evidence-based sharing arrangements as soon as possible. That will provide the long-term stability and management that we all wish to see for those stocks. The annual fisheries negotiations matter hugely for Scotland. Responsible fisheries management is a cornerstone of a healthy, productive marine ecosystem. For so many of our fish stocks, agreeing shared management approaches with our fishing neighbours is an integral part of the process. We are fortunate in Scotland to be represented by negotiators with a wealth of experience, and I am confident that they will again deliver the best deal possible. While the rest of us are beginning to count down to the festive season, Scotland's negotiation teams are preparing to spend days and weeks away from home, moving between locations in London and Europe to make sure that Scotland's interests are represented, our voices heard and our fishing industry benefits. They are ably supported by a team of data analysts and technical experts at home, whose expertise enables us to keep up with the pace and movement of discussions. Throughout the 2024 negotiations, this Government will continue to seek the best outcome for Scotland's environment, fishing interests and our coastal communities. That means balancing environmental, economic and social considerations, and considering short and long-term impacts on fish stocks and the fishing industry. That matters for the onshore supply chain, which depends on fishing effort as much as it does for the offshore businesses. We will take principled, robust positions based on the best available scientific information and take into account socio-economic factors. We will work closely and collaboratively with stakeholders and coastal state partners to ensure the sustainable utilisation of important stocks in the long term. Every day, Scotland's fishing fleet puts themselves in the front line of climate change, putting going out to sea and increasingly unpredictable weather to secure a living, but also to ensure that we all benefit from healthy produce that is important to our food security. It makes me all the more determined to safeguard their future in those and indeed future negotiations. Scotland's fishing industry deserves nothing less. The cabinet secretary will now take questions on the issues raised in her statement. I intend to allow up to 20 minutes, after which we will need to move to the next item of business. Members who have not already pressed but wish to ask a question should press the request to speak buttons now, and I call for Rachel Hamilton. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I thank the cabinet secretary for prior sight of the statement, and I wish her teams well with the negotiations in the future. The fantastic work of our fishermen is placing Scotland's seas on a sustainable footing, and I commend them for that. The UK Fisheries Act is clear in the context of fishing, which must consider biological, social and economic pillars of sustainability equally. However, in light of the lessons learned on the HPA May calamity, which was presided over by the SNP and Green Government putting jobs and livelihoods at risk, will the Scottish Government ensure that our hardworking fishermen are put at the heart of this sustainable approach to ensure that we keep the lights on across Scotland's coastal communities? Rachel Hamilton's comments started off so well, and I thought that we were going to be on an agreeable footing going forward, but I do very much welcome her initial comments that she made there. I hope that I was able to emphasise in the statement that I have outlined to Parliament today just how important this is for our fishing industry, for the wider economy of Scotland, and we recognise how vital this is for our food security, among many other reasons too. Rachel Hamilton quite rightly outlines all the different objectives within the Fisheries Act that we have to try to balance. Again, I outlined in that statement, too, between the environmental objectives and sustainability, considering economic factors. Of course, that is a balance that we do try to get right, and we will continue to do that. Again, as I hope that I made clear in my statement, the key for the negotiating teams when they are out there and looking for those opportunities is to do the best for the Scottish industry here and for our fishing industry and to support that as much as possible. They engage closely throughout the negotiations, so I hope that the approach that I have set out is something that Rachel Hamilton and other members across the chamber can support. Having finally recognised that HPMAs were not fit for purpose, does the cabinet secretary recognise that poor management of a well-meaning policy has significantly damaged trust between the fishing industry and the Government? Can I ask what the Government is going to do to rebuild that trust in a way that protects the thousands of jobs in Scotland, depending on the industry? I know that the cabinet secretary for net zero published the results of the consultation into HPMAs just yesterday. An important part in setting out that approach was outlining the next steps and how we are going to engage going forward. I think that it was made abundantly clear that people felt like they hadn't been appropriately engaged with or consulted. Again, we made clear throughout the process that we didn't want to impose anything on communities. That's where having community involvement, all the industry that is impacted by any proposals going forward, is going to be so critical. I don't think that there's any getting around the fact that we need to do more for climate, we need to do more on biodiversity. When you look at good environmental status, we failed in 11 out of 15 of those objectives. So there is more work to be done, but it is really critical that we work with our industry, with communities, with all the interested stakeholders, to find a way through that. We see measures implemented in parts of Scotland already where that approach has worked and is continuing to work well. That's a success that we want to build on. Adam, to be followed by Jamie Halcro Johnston. The annual negotiations are critical for the fortunes of Scotland's fishing industry, but it's also important that we manage to reach longer-term sharing arrangements with some of the parties. Of course, that has proven challenging with some of the coastal states in the recent past. Can the cabinet secretary advise if any progress has been made in this area? Of course, that raises a really important point. As I outlined in my statement, I think that it is becoming urgent that we reach agreement on that because of the importance of it. I would just want to reiterate that that does remain a top priority for Scotland. Now, I know that parties have worked really closely together in recent months to find sharing solutions for mackerel, for blue-whiting and atlantoscandi and herring. I think that there has been good progress that's been made on that to date, but of course there is more work to be done. I think that I would just want to assure Karen Adam, as well as other members across the chamber, that we will be continuing to put our full energy behind the on-going negotiations to ensure that we see the long-term sustainability of these important stocks. Discussions for all three pelagic stocks are going to continue in the coming months. I do hope that all parties are going to engage in these negotiations with an open mind that I think everybody's got to show that bit of flexibility to, as well as looking to work closely together to try and find a solution in a way forward. But of course Scotland is always going to drive for agreements that are fair, that are based on robust evidence and that reflect the distribution of the stocks. The Scottish Government's uten on highly protected marine areas yesterday was welcome and credit must go to those coastal communities, fishing organisations and politicians from across the parties who opposed these hated proposals. However, given this SNP Green Government's record and their slavish devotion to their Butehouse agreement, it's perhaps not surprising that not all are convinced that this really is the final death knell of HPMAs. So can I ask the Cabinet Secretary to confirm once and for all that this really is the end of their plans for HPMAs and that something that looks suspiciously just like a rebranded version of them won't appear under a different guise at some point in the future? As has already been made abundantly clear by the cabinet secretary for net zero, we are not looking to seek to implement HPMAs across 10 per cent of Scotland's seas by 2026. That commitment is no longer going forward. What we have committed to is, as I already stated in my response to Rhoda Grant earlier, is about that work with our stakeholders, with communities, to ensure that where we implement measures we're working with people to do that. Again, I've talked about some of the examples that we see in Scotland where that management is working. That's what we want to build on and build on that success going forward. To be followed by Mercedes Villalba. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Considering the nature of the questions today, can I suggest that listening and changing tack is a sign of strength, which other parties may want to recall. In terms of the cabinet secretary's statement, obviously fishing is a vital economic and social foundation stone for coastal communities. It's great to hear that we have a top-class team, great to hear the progress in establishing the newly-defined Northern Shelf cod stock, but can I ask the cabinet secretary how she sees the outcome of those negotiations actually strengthening communities and indeed reversing depopulation in Scotland's coastal communities? Securing those opportunities is so vitally important in terms of addressing the challenges that Kate Forbes has outlined in particular there. When I talked about the outcome of our negotiations last year, I mentioned that this had brought in £500 million worth of fishing opportunities. That's no small amount, and it's no small amount in particular to our fishing communities who operate in our island areas, in our rural and coastal areas, too. So being able to put all our work into this to make the most and capitalise on these opportunities is going to be critical going forward. As I mentioned in the statement and in previous responses to, our top priority within all of this is to work for the benefit of our industry in Scotland, and we are working closely with them throughout these negotiations to try and do just that. The value of landings in Scotland last year was £617 million, and the industry employs 4,100 fishers in Scotland. So can the cabinet secretary confirm whether the national marine plan 2 will include spatial plans for all activities, including fisheries, for all appropriate locations in our inshore waters? In relation to that, it's the cabinet secretary for net zero who's leading on the development of the national marine plan 2, and I know that work is already underway in relation to that, and I think there have been a few sessions earlier this year looking at the start of that process as well. In relation to the spatial element that Mercedes Villalba mentions, I think that that is something that is being considered within the national marine plan 2, but again, I'm happy to follow up with colleagues and provide the member with further information. Can I ask the cabinet secretary what independence in Europe would mean for Scotland's fishing interests? Last week, the Scottish Government published the latest building in new Scotland paper on migration, so I'd like to know how those proposals might benefit Scotland's offshore and onshore seafood sector? It won't be any surprise to anyone here that Scotland is, of course, a welcoming and inclusive nation, and we want to make Scotland as attractive a place as possible for people to choose to live, to work, to study, to raise their families as well as to look to build their lives here. So a key part of that vision is helping to ensure that we have thriving coastal and island communities and that means enabling that inward migration that they need and ensuring that our fishing, our seafood processing and other sectors can also access that vital labour that they need. However, when we look to the UK Government in stark contrast to our position, they've implemented an increasingly hostile immigration policy that's exacerbated labour shortages in rural day population and which has consistently shown a lack of understanding of Scotland's needs. That includes a visa system that's persistently maintained an uneven playing field based on the geographic location and operational area of fishing vessels and the particular detriment of the Scottish inshore fleet in the Highlands and Islands and one that imposes charges to obtain visas far in excess of what's reasonable. So I make no secret of the fact that I continue to believe that Scottish independence and membership of the EU is the best way to overcome the harms of Brexit, give Scotland a voice and influence at the heart of Europe and help our marine sector reach its full potential. Can we listen to the questions and the responses from the cabinet secretary without the running commentary please? I call Beatrice Wishart to be followed by Annie Amburgess. I thank the cabinet secretary for her advance sight of her statement and agree that the annual fisheries negotiations matter hugely for Scotland. I note the cabinet secretary's comments on catch limits for coastal state pelagic stock and discussions on longer-term management elements. Does the Scottish Government still agree that unilateral mackerel quota increases, such as the 55 per cent increase by Norway and Faroe in 2021, are unacceptable starting points for negotiations this year? Cabinet secretary. Again, as I hope I've been able to make clear today, I think that reaching those sharing agreements is going to be hugely important. That's where we are putting all our strength into negotiating on that front, but it comes back to the point that all parties within this need to approach it with an open mind, that willingness to be flexible as well. I certainly hope that that will be the approach of other parties to these negotiations going forward, because I think that we cannot be in a situation where unilateral decisions can be made, which sees our stocks fish at unsustainable levels. I don't think that that is a position that any of us wants to be in, but we will be putting the full force of our teams behind ensuring that we have as good a sharing agreement as possible and that we are fishing to sustainable levels. We will continue to advocate for responsible fisheries management approaches, and that means safeguarding the diversity of the marine ecosystem. How can we safeguard the diversity of 6,500 species in Scottish Seas, many of which are caught as by-cash, when fisheries management plans will only cover 43 individual species? Can the Scottish Government commit to developing, in conjunction with stakeholders, multi-species ecosystems-based fisheries management plans to help to fulfil our obligations under the UK Fisheries Act and make fishing truly sustainable for our ecosystems and our fishing communities? I would just say in response to that that fisheries management plans are just one of the tools that we will be using to manage our fisheries and our marine ecosystems, because as we have already set out in our fisheries management strategy, we do have a comprehensive programme of work that is already underway to help us to deliver that aspiration of being a world-leading responsible and sustainable fisheries manager. That includes the policy commitments that we have to introduce fisheries management measures in our NPA network. It includes our future catching policy, which is going to reduce unwanted by-catch, as well as look at other marine species, and then there is also the roll-out of remote electronic monitoring and tracking to key parts of our fishing fleet, which is going to improve compliance with legislation and increase accountability. I would say that of the numbers that Ariane Burgess mentioned there of the 6,500 marine plants in animals sighted. It is around 150 of those that would be caught by fishing gear on a regular or semi-regular basis. It is also important to remember that we cannot deliver everything at once, change does take time, but I would just want to re-emphasise that commitment that we have to delivering those improvements. Back in 2017, Michael Gove, the then UK Government minister for fisheries, promised that there was a sea of opportunity in leaving the EU for the fishing industry in my Aberdeen south and north Cincardian constituency and across Scotland's coastal communities. He indicated that we would be able to dramatically increase the amount of fish we catch. Can the cabinet secretary advise whether the trade and co-operation agreement negotiated by the Tories has delivered on that? The promise that was made of a sea of opportunity and that dramatic increase in the amount of fish we catch was one of the many that was made by UK Government ministers during and after the Brexit referendum. It was one of the many promises that was clearly and shamefully broken, too. Under the trade and co-operation agreement and for some species, Scotland has effectively lost quota share and it has accessed a fewer fishing opportunities than we had under the CFP. Quota gains have been made for a small number of species, but some of the other gains are also what is known as paper fish, where quota has never actually been fully utilised and where additional quota is not needed or in fact wanted. The TCA also makes that explicit link between access to waters and access to markets. That means that there is scope for retaliatory trade measures if the UK Government seeks to restrict or deny access to UK waters for EU vessels from 2026. The tariffs that could be imposed as a result would not just be devastating to sectors such as Scottish Aquaculture, but they could also be applied to other economic sectors, too, in some cases. We consistently said throughout Brexit negotiations that no deal can be reached that will be as favourable as EU membership and the UK Government has now proven that conclusively. In the statement, the cabinet secretary quite rightly praises the efforts of Scottish fishers who have engaged and worked closely with her to protect and recover stocks. I would like to be positive, but, despite the welcome U-turn, the fisherman and singer of Skipping Issues anti-HPMA protest song Donald MacPhail said, and I quote, I would not trust anything they say they have been the Scottish Green Government. Given previous debacles such as the Clyde cod box and the failure to deliver key policies, how will the cabinet secretary go around restoring trust between fishers, fishing communities and her Scottish Government? Of course, it is never good to hear comments like that. I think that, as I have made clear in previous responses to the statement, I know that the cabinet secretary for net zero has also made clear in relation to HPMA proposals. Again, those proposals are not going forward. We want to make sure that we are working with people as we look to whether that is in relation to the marine protected areas or where we need to look to do more for climate and biodiversity. We can only do that with the industry and communities. That is why we listened through that consultation process. I know that the cabinet secretary had made an announcement before the summer. We have only just published the results of the consultation, because, understandably, it took a long time to go through. Rebuilding that is critical, but, again, we made clear throughout that process that we would not be imposing anything on communities that they did not want. Rebuilding that trust and working with communities is going to be a key priority going forward. Jackie Dunbar, to be followed by Colin Smyth. Michael Gove also told the fishing industry in 2017 that once we take back control of our territorial waters, we can decide who comes here and we can decide on what terms. We all know that the Tories view anyone who comes here as unwelcome, and they ignore the benefits of international vessel landings, especially in small harbours. Has taking back control created more fishing opportunity for Scottish fishing fleets, or was that another example of Brexit or Tory's promise on what they could never be able to deliver? No, it did not provide more opportunity. As I have outlined, under the trade and co-operation agreement, access to UK waters for EU vessels is guaranteed at least until 30 June 2026, and there is the ability within that to unilaterally prevent or restrict access thereafter as constrained, and it is, of course, subject to retaliatory trade measures. Those measures would not just affect the fishing industry itself, it could also lead to tariffs being applied to our aquaculture exports, as well as other sectors of the economy, too. That has wide-reaching ramifications. Because of the Tories' broken promises on replacing EU funding in full, Scotland now has less funding to invest in our ports and harbours, as well as other forms of support for growth and innovation in our seafood sector. I think that when you look at the contrast between the approaches of UK and Scottish Governments, they could not be more stark, but we will always champion the interests of the Scottish seafood sector in the round, including recognising the important role that foreign vessel landings play in ensuring the prosperity of ports like Loch Infer and at Scrabster, too. I think that we are in danger of moving away from the substance of the statement, but I will briefly call on Smith. Given the clear legal duty on the Government under the UK Fisheries Act 2020, can the cabinet secretary tell us specifically how she will use those negotiations and the outcomes to incentivise low-impact fisheries through quota allocation? We, of course, make sure that we are in alignment with our legal obligations and are adhering to those as well. Again, what is set out within the Fisheries Act 2020 means that we have to meet those different objectives. I do not know if the member is referring to the additional quota that we have received through that. We have tried to incentivise lower-impact fishing methods in relation to handline mackerel as an example, but I would just want to emphasise to the member and to other members across the chamber that we do at the moment have a consultation open on the allocation of additional quota. It is going to be open until the 11 January, where there are a number of different options set out within that, so I encourage the member and others to take part in that consultation and make their views known. That concludes the item of business. There will be a brief pause before we move to the next item of business to allow the front benches to change.