Meeting of the Parliament 18 November 2025
I need to make progress.
It is not just about wind turbines. It is also about interconnectors, telecommunication cables and fish farming—and the list goes on. The Conservative amendment alludes to some of the pressures on our marine environment. There must be a plan to ensure that we do not have conflict and tensions between industries, and I look forward to hearing what the cabinet secretary has to tell us about that in her summing up.
The cabinet secretary also spoke about her concerns about fishing opportunities next year, with total allowable catch reductions on the horizon, so I hope that she will address the science on which we base our fishing catches. Again, this year, there are discrepancies between what the industry believes and what the science tells us. That has long been a bone of contention.
When the Rural Affairs and Islands Committee visited the marine laboratory in Aberdeen earlier this year, we were shocked to see the conditions in which our scientists work. The accommodation was dire. Some of the equipment was warehoused in other institutions. Their lecture theatre was a storage room. I was amazed that they were able to work at all.
There are many things that we should be debating and putting in place to ensure that our fishing industry thrives. Sadly, the debate is being used by the Scottish Government to blame someone else and avoid scrutiny of its own mismanagement. Scotland needs a new Government that will work with the industry and put in place structures that allow it to thrive.
I move amendment S6M-19739.3, to leave out from “condemns” to end and insert:
“regrets that the Scottish Government asked for the Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to be devolved without first agreeing a mechanism outside of the Barnett formula that reflected the size and value of the Scottish industry; notes that, since the 2024 election, the Scottish Government has received an additional £5.2 billion of funding compared with previous spending plans; calls on the Scottish Government to plan for the future of fishing, by developing the processing industry to deal with a larger share of fishing in UK waters and encourage new entrants into the industry, especially within the inshore fleet; believes that the Scottish Government must invest in scientific research in order to manage Scotland's fish stocks to protect the industry going forward; regrets that the Scottish Government has not introduced space-based planning of Scotland’s seas to ensure that renewable developments do not put pressure on the fishing industry and other marine users, and calls for the development of a scheme to lease additional quota share equitably in order to end the trading of quota and licences.”
15:50Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.