Chamber and committees

To clarify, in relation to how the Government will achieve the bycatch objective, do we need to wait until the consultation on the future catching policy has concluded?

I understand that the economic link that was announced in November last year requires only 50 per cent of catches that are made by Scottish boats to be landed in the UK, and that that is less than the requirement for their English counterparts. Do you intend to match the English rules, or will the requirement for Scottish boats remain lower than that for English boats?

The 2020 act states that the Administrations must meet the bycatch objective, part of which requires that

“the catching of fish that are below minimum conservation reference size, and other bycatch, is avoided or reduced.”

The joint fisheries statement does not seem to include any plans for how that will be done. The future catching policy, which was published last week, states that, in the case of undersized fish, “we propose allowing discarding”. Could you explain how those two positions are consistent with each other?

Do you think that the principle of transparency and accountability is important in relation to those plans?

While we are on the subject of fisheries objectives, I wonder whether we could hear from Elspeth Macdonald and Elaine Whyte on whether their organisations have proposed any specific plans or policies that are needed to meet the climate change objective.

I note that the English and Welsh Administrations have already agreed that fisheries management plans should be developed for key fisheries such as the scallop dredge fishery and the largely unregulated wrasse fisheries. It sounds like you are not able to commit to those within the JFS. Are you considering that? Do you have an idea of when you will be able to commit to establishing and delivering plans for those fisheries?

Given that regional inshore fisheries groups are not formally constituted or legally accountable, and that they do not provide an opportunity for public or environmental representation, how will the Government ensure transparency and accountability of any fisheries management plans that the groups develop?

I have a couple of supplementaries about the fisheries objectives. The “national benefit objective” is that

“fishing activities of UK fishing boats bring social or economic benefits to the United Kingdom or any part of the United Kingdom.”

What measures will the Scottish Government take to achieve that objective?

Thank you.

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking, in relation to green skills, to remove barriers facing offshore oil and gas workers in transitioning to green jobs in the offshore energy sector. (S6O-00903)