Seòmar agus comataidhean

Thank you, convener. Is it working now? Can you hear me?

Thank you. There are no further questions from me for now, convener.

Perfect. Good morning, cabinet secretary. I have three questions. The first is on the overall budget allocations to different areas. As far as I can tell, there is a big disparity between agriculture and aquaculture. It looks as though there is about £36 million for agri-environmental measures alone, versus £20 million for fisheries as a whole. Will you tell us a bit about the thinking behind that?

Would it be possible to write to the Scottish Government to ask for an update on how the scheme is running and what the sector is saying about how effective the scheme has been in supporting the industry?

I have a question for Terry A’Hearn on the role of public bodies in tackling the climate and nature emergencies. A coalition of wildlife campaigners highlighted a 40 per cent reduction in funding for Scotland’s public environmental bodies, including SEPA, between 2010 and 2019. How have those cuts impacted on SEPA’s ability to respond to the climate and nature emergencies, and what impact have they had on staffing and SEPA’s capability to undertake investigations and enforce actions?

Rachel Shucksmith, the Shetland spatial plan is held up as an example of good practice. One aspect of that is that scallop dredgers are all fitted with tracking devices. Is that tracking a good thing? Should it be rolled out to the rest of Scotland’s inshore fisheries? Should the Scottish Government consider delegating powers for the local management of other inshore fisheries?

I have one more follow-up on reporting the entanglements. Do you think that monitoring and recording could be delivered through the use of remote electronic monitoring equipment on the larger boats—on trawlers?

I have a couple of questions, but I do not know whether we can write to ministers or, indeed, how the process works. I note that the instrument

“Increases the amount of seabass that can be landed as bycatch”,

and I seek some clarification on that increase. Secondly, I have some questions about the fact that it

“Revokes a closed season for fishing sandeels”.

Good morning. I have two questions. We have spoken about solutions to marine animal entanglements and the sustainability of current fishing practices. Does the Scottish Entanglement Alliance have a view on the relative sustainability of creeling over trawling if they take place in the same area of inshore waters?

I have one question for Danny Renton, now that we have him back. A couple of weeks ago, the committee heard about the lack of commercially viable white-fish stocks on the west coast. It is great that Seawilding is working to recover inshore ecosystems and to provide better nursery grounds for fish species, but that is restricted to the project at one specific loch. What should be done to recover cod and herring stocks on the wider west coast?