Hansard

This is a watershed moment in the management of our marine environment. For too many generations, what was out of sight in a large part of our marine environment was out of mind. That can no longer be the case with the new provisions.

Of course, the bill has highlighted a range of complex issues, complex and competing uses of the sea, and the interaction between those uses, whether they are for industrial purposes, such as oil and gas exploration, shipping cargo, fishing and shellfish growing, or for leisure, such as kayaking, sailing, surfing and diving.

The sea is home to many and varied species, including whales and dolphins, and there is a huge bird population around the Scottish coastline that is vital in European terms. Beneath the waves, there are reefs, corals and vegetation. The cabinet secretary has referred to those in the past and has done so again today. Therefore, the sea is hugely important. Many things compete in it and there are competing interests.

At the heart of the bill is a mechanism for reconciling those competing interests through regional partnerships, regional plans and the national plan. There is still much to do on the boundaries and the precise make-up of organisations, and I look forward to further consultation on those in due course. However, a good, if complex, piece of legislation has been produced and I urge the cabinet secretary to do a lot in the coming months to explain to all the stakeholders in our marine environment what the legislation requires of them. As I say, it is complex, and many people will have a lot to learn.

One of the central provisions in the bill is the ability to create marine protected areas for research, historic or conservation reasons. That is hugely important. Science must be at the heart of that, and research to back up that science must be given a prominent role in the new Marine Scotland activities. I, too, welcome the letter of clarification from the minister on when he will use the new powers that he has in respect of socieconomic matters. That helps to square the circle—if that is the right way to put it—of that particular set of different competing interests. In designating marine protected areas, I make a plea for us to try to take communities with us as far as possible, explaining the purpose of and reasons for MPAs. In particular, we must be sensitive to local people's interest in the management of MPAs.

I am pleased that the bill also contains measures to mitigate climate change, where appropriate, and gives the minister—and future ministers—the power to balance those considerations when thinking about making designations.

At the outset of the bill, it seemed that seals could be a hugely contentious question for all of us. Indeed, they could have been a show stopper for parts of the bill. I pay tribute to the parliamentary process, which has allowed members to interact with the lobbyists around the Parliament. The bill is a good example of how we can reach reconciliation on potentially hugely contentious issues and come out with a much stronger position than we could have imagined at the start. There is a presumption against the shooting of seals, which is right—it should be a last resort when other methods have failed or are not workable. It is now a licensed activity and the conditions of the licences are clearly set out and are tough. For example, the harassment of seals, if not controlled, will be an offence. There is now much tighter control, which should be welcomed.

The bill provides a sound framework, but its implementation will be vital. It is a big task and I wish all those who are involved in it the best.