Chamber and committees

Helen, do you want to come in on that? I think that there has to be a space for nature in there somewhere, as well.

I am sure that you do not always agree with what Allan Gibb says, but that is life.

When the earlier panel of witnesses gave evidence to the committee, they said that there were some conflicts around where they could fish or carry out activities. I guess that we can all accept that there is a conflict around where certain activities can take place. We have to balance nature, renewables, aquaculture, fishing, and tourism, but I would not say that we have got it right at the moment. Will we be able to get that right? Will that come under the JFS, or is that something that you will come up with so that the JFS will be based on how we are going to use our coastline sustainably?

When you are considering the issues, do you think that you will be able to think far enough forward? People who are involved in the aquaculture sector have said that it is no longer sustainable for their facilities to be as close to shore as they are at the moment, due to water temperatures and the problems with disease and lice, and they want them to be placed further offshore, which might bring them into conflict with wind turbines or wave energy facilities. How are you going to plan for the future so that the policies are flexible enough to cope with the demands of all the industries that Scotland wants to support?

Yes. My question is on spatial planning, so in some ways it is a pity that Elspeth Macdonald has left the meeting.

One of the conflicts is that everyone—wind farms, aquaculture, dredgers, scallop fishermen and diving—wants to use a bit of the resource. How do we regulate to ensure that everyone gets to use the resource and that they are good neighbours to the other people who want to use it?

Sorry—you have wrong-footed me there, convener. I was not sure that I was due to come in at this stage.

You are right, in fact, convener. I apologise—I should have been paying greater attention.

It is very nice to see you, cabinet secretary. My question is about the Scottish Government’s role in international fisheries. I was interested to hear you saying to Jim Fairlie that the Scottish Government would lead on some areas of fisheries management where the stocks were in its waters. Would the Scottish Government also lead when international negotiations are taking place, as it has the expertise, or would that be a question for the secretary of state? What would you like to see, and what do you think will happen?

All my interests are declared in the register of interests. In summary, I am part of a family farming partnership. I farm 500 acres, and I am the tenant of another 500 acres. I grow barley and beef cattle, and there are some ancillary let properties. I have a 50 per cent share in a salmon fishery on the River Spey, and I am a chartered surveyor; I am not currently practising, but that is one of my qualifications.

Any other details that the committee needs to see are laid out in my entry in the register of interests.

It sounds like it all works very well and that you all work very well together. It sounds perfect.

Each of those industries contributes different amounts to Scotland, either financially or through, for example, supporting the local economy by encouraging people to live there. How will you balance out the economic benefits of each of those industries and not disadvantage the perhaps less economic activities of people such as, for example, creel fishers, who are also important to their local economy? I do not see how you will strike that balance. Do you think that you will be able to do so?

On that, do we need greater regulation of inshore fisheries on the basis that we do not fully understand who is taking what, where, when, and how?