Hansard

I agree with Jamie Halcro Johnston on the issues that he has raised.

The welfare of farm fish in offshore conditions is still largely unknown. As the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and others have highlighted, we do not yet understand how strong currents, wave heights or offshore husbandry practices affect fish health. That is not a minor detail; it goes to the heart of responsible aquaculture.

We also face a clear gap in regulatory oversight. Licences under the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s controlled activities regulations currently do not extend beyond 3 miles, which means that environmental monitoring of discharges and pollution risks falling through the cracks. That is not acceptable in relation to the marine environment, and it is not acceptable to communities that are being asked to trust the process.

Local authorities, too, are being asked to carry responsibilities that they are not yet resourced or equipped to deliver. Planning for offshore sites that are more complex, more technical and more interconnected with national priorities should not fall solely to overstretched councils. Even industry experts have acknowledged that that is a broader capacity issue. All of this comes in the same week as the United Nations ocean conference in Nice and the release of the film “Ocean”, which reminds us of the global urgency to work with—not against—our seas.

I am not arguing against offshore aquaculture in principle; I am calling for a more joined-up, evidence-based and strategic approach that brings national oversight, robust science and proper resourcing together.