Chamber and committees

I do not know whether Calum has stopped or whether his video connection has cut out.

Before I move on to questions from Mercedes Villalba, I have a question for Katie Gillham or Cathy Tilbrook. In the previous parliamentary session, the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee heard about the good work that was done in Shetland between fishermen, NGOs, environmental groups and Heriot-Watt University. A fantastic level of trust was built up, so the fishermen were happy to share their data. Are there other similar examples of good collaborative working that NatureScot and Marine Scotland can build on to ensure that that approach is replicated across our coasts?

Will we move on to questions from Emma Harper, or does Jimmy Buchan want to come in? I cannot tell whether he is indicating to me or whether he just has an itchy ear. Go for it, Jimmy.

Emma Harper has some questions on inshore fisheries.

I welcome our second panel. We have Katie Gillham, head of marine ecosystems, and Cathy Tilbrook, head of sustainable coasts and seas, NatureScot; Calum Duncan, head of conservation Scotland, Marine Conservation Society; and Charles Millar, executive director, Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust. I will not ask the witnesses to make introductory remarks; we will go straight to questions that will give them the opportunity to put across their views.

My question is on the scientific evidence about the health of and the main pressures on our marine environment. We heard from the previous panel about the apparent increase in white-fish biomass and about significantly improved collaboration that has led to greater health for our seas. We were told that the scallop industry fishes only 15 per cent of our waters. However, we need more scientific evidence. Can we have your comments?

I will stick with this topic of climate and ecological crisis.

I will start with Jimmy Buchan and the processing side of things, and I will then move on to Elspeth Macdonald.

Perhaps Katie Gillham or Cathy Tilbrook could kick off on adding other bodies to the inshore fisheries groups.

Rachael Hamilton will ask a short supplementary question, and we will then move to Emma Harper.

I will move on to Tavish Scott to give the view of the aquaculture industry, please.

Elaine, could you give us an idea of how the past nine months have been for fishermen at the coalface? That is not a good analogy. How has it been for those going out on boats, day to day? How do you see things going forward?