Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to lead this debate today on what is a very important issue for the people of Wales and, in particular, for our coastal towns and communities as we leave the European Union. 

Our coast and seas are an incredible natural asset contributing millions to the economy of Wales, supporting thousands of jobs and have a rich heritage and culture. The gross value added generated by the marine sector in Wales in 2014 alone was around £370 million. Over 60 per cent of the Welsh population lives near our shores, with all our major cities and many important towns located on the coast. 

Shortly after the referendum, I assembled a round-table group of representative stakeholders to seek their help to identify and understand the potential challenges and opportunities Brexit presents for Wales. The seas and coast sub-group formed from members of my round-table and the existing Welsh marine advice and action group have helped to provide a focus on our consideration of Brexit and our seas. Members have worked with Government to shape five key themes to work towards as we leave the European Union. This will guide further policy development and contribute to achieving our shared vision of productive, healthy and biologically diverse seas.

I've made arrangements for these to be circulated to Members today, and the themes include: planning to make the best use of our seas, which includes delivering the marine plan; provide effective stewardship of our marine environment and natural resources, including our contribution to a network of marine protected areas; continue to be responsible partners in the UK, including working closely with our partners across the UK in terms of science and enforcement, and we will work with those with whom we share a sea area; secure a fairer deal for the fishing industry, including rebalancing the UK share of fish quota and grow opportunities in domestic and overseas markets; and standing on our own two feet by enhancing our marine science and data collection capability, and reviewing our fisheries legislation to embed sustainable management of natural resources principles, and make sure it's fit for purpose. I ask Members to consider these themes as part of the debate today. 

Leaving the European Union presents an opportunity for a Welsh fisheries policy with the best interests of Welsh coastal communities and fisheries at its heart. To fully understand these opportunities, I commissioned the Wales Centre for Public Policy to provide independent insight on the implication for fisheries policy in Wales following Brexit. I wish to thank the WCPP for their work, and I'm pleased to bring this report to the Assembly today.

I hope Members note the significant and distinct challenges facing the industry. As outlined in the Welsh Government's White Paper, 'Securing Wales' Future', the Welsh fishing industry deserves a fairer share of fishing opportunities in the future. I believe it's important that the Welsh fleet has a prosperous and sustainable business model to encourage investment and attract future generations into the industry. Fishing opportunities for the fleet are currently managed through a mixture of Welsh legislation and the common fisheries policy. These set the total amount of fish available and establish the rules for managing fish stocks that spend part of their time in our waters. However, the CFP is heavily skewed towards more industrial-scale fishing, and my approach in annual negotiations is to ensure that the small-scale sector obtains a fairer deal.

Some commentators talk about a Brexit bonanza of fish returning to the Welsh fleet. The CFP has not served UK vessels well in terms of the share of the fish. The WCPP report confirms that Wales's share is only a fraction of the UK share. Any additional fish will need to be negotiated stock by stock and that will take time. Any additional fish realised through these negotiations are a public good, not a commercial asset to be bought and sold. It should be available to rebalance fishing opportunities.

The nature of fishing in the four parts of the UK is different in scale and the species they target. We have a long history of working together to manage our respective fleets and the mobile fish species. In Wales, for historic reasons, the fleet is primarily small under-10 m vessels. The fishing industry is reliant on non-quota shellfish species, such as crab, lobsters and whelks, around 90 per cent of which is exported to the EU or other countries via EU trade deals. Most of our shellfish is exported as live or fresh products. This means that timing is critical. You can imagine the difficulties exporters will face if this shellfish is held up in UK or EU ports due to non-tariff barriers.

It is clear that any future policy can only succeed if we maintain full unfettered access to the EU market for our existing fisheries products. Both the WCPP report and our stakeholder groups were clear on this. I continue to push hard for this at meetings with my counterparts at Whitehall to get the best deal for Wales as the trade negotiations develop, and I hope the Assembly can support our attempts in this area also.