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What is the current state of play with marine funding after Brexit?

I would like to get some examples, if possible, that paint a picture of where you feel mainstreaming has not worked to tackle inequalities and to reach human rights aspirations. Would people’s participation in those areas have helped us to gain a better understanding of the impacts of policy making and would it have made a difference?

I have had conversations about that and I can list a few non-MSP members. Besides the Fishmongers’ Company, there is the Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, offshore wind companies, a number of individual fishers, the Salamander offshore wind project, SSE and Peterhead Port Authority as well as representatives of community groups. A vast array of different industries are covered because I did not want it to be only a fisheries CPG. I want it to extend to coastal communities because of all the pressures that are affecting them at the moment.

Yes.

Thank you, everybody.

Yes, absolutely. I have the support of the Fishmongers’ Company, which will provide secretariat support via a company called Pagoda Public Relations, which is based in Edinburgh. The Fishmongers’ Company provides such support for the all-party parliamentary group on fisheries at Westminster as well.

I am a member of a few CPGs, but the nature of this one is different. As a new parliamentarian who has been bedding in over the past two and a half years, I have found that there are gaps where I need to have conversations. There needs to be a forum where certain industries can come together and where we can talk across parties in a more politically neutral environment. We need places where we can really get to the crux of important issues, bash them out and get some action points. I think that the proposed CPG will enhance my work and not add to the workload. It will support my on-going work and that of other MSPs who have come forward to say that they want to join.

That is an important point. Individual fishers have spoken to me about the agendas of some of the potential members of the CPG and how they would affect the group’s work. As convener, I would have to be attuned to that and ensure that we kept true to what the cross-party group is meant to be about, which is supporting coastal communities and fisheries and ensuring that their voices are heard, above all. I always go on about lived experience, but I will definitely highlight that and give it the most voice on the CPG.

Yes. Thank you, convener, and good morning. As part of my opening statement, I want to get across the importance of our fisheries to our country and the economy as a whole. Our fisheries and wider blue economy are an essential part of Scotland’s economy and culture. The seas and shores are a part of the rich tapestry of Scotland’s history. As a representative of a coastal constituency, I know at first hand the important contribution that fisheries and coastal communities make to Scotland.

As much as I love to boast about Banffshire and Buchan Coast, I have some stats for you—in case anybody is a bit of a statistician—that show that 48 per cent of the Scottish Parliament’s constituencies are coastal. If we include estuaries, the figure is 60 per cent. All but one of the Scottish Parliament’s electoral regions touch the coast. That means that 93 MSPs represent coastal communities, including estuaries, which is 72 per cent of our Parliament. We know from recent debates, both in and outwith the Scottish Parliament, that policies that affect fisheries and coastal communities are matters of great importance and have been highly politically sensitive.

Scotland boasts the United Kingdom’s largest fishing port and Europe’s largest white fishing port. Our fisheries and wider blue economy are rapidly evolving, and it is abundantly clear that our food and drink sector, particularly our seafood sector, plays a leading role in supporting Scotland to thrive at home and abroad. At the local level, the opportunities that fishing provides are invaluable, from catching to processing and from packing to marketing. Our blue economy offers huge opportunities in abundance. The Scottish fish sector is also essential to brand Scotland and it is a key component of Scotland’s soft power on the world stage.

There are a number of issues that fisheries and coastal communities face. We have climate change, the spatial squeeze with offshore and inshore renewable energy, and restrictive policies on fishing. Those are just some of the issues that we hope to look at across party lines. I hope that the committee will approve the establishment of this vital cross-party group.

I have looked, but I have not found a forum for the issues. Over the past two and a half years, they have obviously come up in my constituency work and my work on the rural committee. We had a round-table discussion with fishers from the pelagic sector and people from the processing and inshore fisheries sectors. That was beneficial, but it was only one occasion.

You will appreciate how packed our workloads can be, but I feel that we need additional space for more people to come forward. The fisheries sector keeps talking about the renewables industry and the impacts on ports and service vessels, and I do not think that there is a joined-up or collaborative approach yet. Some offshore wind companies have had discussions with fisheries, but only in bits and pieces. If we have a national overview, we will be able to set a standard for best practice on communication between all the relevant industries.

The bill specifies that it is about dogs as pets. For clarity, then, are you saying that that should be changed to include all dogs?