Chamber and committees

I do not see a particular need at the moment to introduce a specific bill. Objectives were set out in the 2020 act and we are here today to discuss the framework in the JFS and the policy ambitions in that. I also set out last week how we intend to deliver on our fisheries management strategy, which was published towards the end of 2020. I do not know what other specific legal mechanisms we would need to bring forward to enable us to deliver on the policy objectives that we have set out, because I believe that we have the means to do that at the moment.

In last year’s debate in Parliament, I set out that we would be looking to introduce new economic link measurements as of the start of 2023. I will provide more detail on that in due course.

Some of what you have mentioned will be harnessed in the work that is done around the commitment in the programme for government for the blue economy action plan and the blue economy vision, which I mentioned in my opening statement. That approach recognises the breadth of sectors and interests that we have in our marine environment and ensures that all the strategies and policies across all those areas are aligned and take cognisance of each other, as much as possible. Obviously, we have been undertaking work on aquaculture, and I am sure that you will be aware of that and of the review that we have undertaken in that regard.

A number of strands of work are going on in this area. It is vital that we capture all of that and set out our clear vision for the future and say how all those interests will operate together for a sustainable blue economy.

I certainly hope so. Part of the challenge that we face is the balancing of all those different interests. Like you say, inshore fisheries, for example, are hugely important to local economies and communities. Not long ago, I had a meeting with Dr Allan and some of his constituents at which we discussed the impact of those industries on employment and population levels in some of our most remote and rural locations. As I am the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, ensuring that we get a balance that enables people to live in our most remote and island communities is vital to me. I am not saying that I have all the solutions to the issue today, but I understand the complexities that we must balance, and we certainly take them into consideration when we are thinking about those issues.

The development of FMPs will be subject to consultation. We will look to develop them through discussion with our stakeholders. We use and engage with a number of fora, whether the FMACs, IFMACs or our regional inshore fisheries groups, so I imagine that they will be part of the process. We want to work with our stakeholders in the production of the FMPs. It is an integral part of the process.

It is not as if we develop such measures in isolation and without any engagement. We will look to keep our various stakeholders informed throughout the process. That is partly so that they can work with us. There is no point in developing policies or plans that, fundamentally, will not work or cannot be implemented by the people who are responsible for implementing them. Therefore, that engagement is critical.

We are ambitious and we want to deliver on the objectives that have been set out in the 2020 act and the policies that we have set out that will, ultimately, deliver those objectives. However, we also want to get it right. We want to take the right amount of time to have engagement and deliver the right policy.

We would also have to be clear about the benefits or otherwise of such an approach. Given that we have not considered it, that work has not been done.

We will be discussing these things with other administrations and working jointly with them as we develop FMPs. I would just note that although we have not set out anything beyond that timescale, the timescales for developing the FMPs set out in the JFS will be very challenging to meet. It is important that we focus on the stocks that we have highlighted as a priority, but that is not to say that there will be no other FMPs. The issue will be subject to review, but I think that that is where we need to focus. Instead of setting out some definitive list of every stock that we would look to consider and the timescales in that respect, we need to focus on this initial set of FMPs.

We will be closely monitoring the work on developing FMPs for non-quota stocks that other administrations are leading on. As I have said and as Paul McCarthy has highlighted, that work will be very complex, and it is important that we continue to monitor it before we set out what FMPs we plan to take forward in that area.

Of course, that is something that has to be managed. As I said, challenging timescales have been set out for the FMPs in the JFS. Trying to meet those timescales is important, because that is what has been set out in the legislation, but we want to make sure, when we are creating the FMPs, that we are getting that right, that it is not rushed and that we are able to undertake that work in the way that we wish to.