Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Wales's fisheries have shaped our identity and our communities over centuries. Yet, today, many of our coastal communities fear this generation will be the last to know these traditions and industries that have sustained our communities and attracted so many visitors. Their concerns are not just the threat of a chaotic and uncertain Tory Brexit. These concerns also reflect the steady decline they've witnessed in the marine life on which their livelihoods rely. To reduce the historical and future importance of fisheries to a simplistic posture on Brexit would be a disservice to our communities and their concerns. That is why I hope all parties will support the Welsh Government's amendment, which calls not just for a particular position to be taken on Brexit, but for the UK and Welsh Governments to take all steps necessary to protect our coastal communities and industries, and the environment on which our well-being relies.

Last year, I published 'Brexit and our Seas', a consultation to start the conversation about how we manage our fisheries once we are no longer part of the EU common fisheries policy. I will make a further statement on the consultation response and our next steps later this term. However, the next steps the UK Government need to take are very clear. They must secure the access to EU markets to allow the vital relationships to continue between businesses in Wales and their trusted partners across Europe. They must secure access to EU life, to the INTERREG programme with Ireland, and to the other programmes which enable Governments and civil society across Europe to collaborate for the benefit of our shared environment.

Without strengthening the protection of the marine environment and averting the worst impacts of climate change, there will be no industries. I agree with the sentiment expressed in the Plaid Cymru amendment, but I believe we need to go further. I know Plaid Cymru Members have a much broader interest in our marine environment than fisheries alone. I've had regular correspondence and discussion with Members about wider co-operation with our European partners and improving the evidence base to support improved management of marine biodiversity. Securing this vital and wide-ranging co-operation with our European neighbours is not a matter of meaningless statements about control of the kind we see in the Tory amendment. There is only one ocean, and marine biodiversity cannot be managed simply by drawing a line on a map. It requires long-term cooperation and negotiation, not soundbites about the control of one side or another.

I was also surprised to see the Tories' amendment regarding increased funding from the UK Government for fisheries. It seems they've forgotten about devolution, and that, in Wales, we make our own funding decisions in those areas for which this Senedd is responsible. Let the opposition, by all means, echo our calls for a definitive end to austerity and a significant uplift in our Barnett share of public spending. But do they really want to argue against the ability of this Senedd to decide on budget allocations within devolved competence? The most surprising amendment from the Tories, however, was for a legal duty on Welsh Government to guarantee fish stocks. We see the UK Fisheries Bill, published today by their party, contains no such legal duty. Members can draw their own conclusions about the seriousness with which the Tories in Westminster take their advice from their Welsh colleagues. We cannot legally guarantee fish stocks any more than we can legally guarantee sea level rises. Our actions must be collaborative actions with other nations in Europe and around the world for those commitments to be realised.

There is, however, much we can do and do as a Welsh Government, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit process, in order for Wales's fisheries to thrive into the future. In recent years, as part of the European Union, we secured protected status for a whole series of foods from Welsh fisheries, putting them rightly on a par with the very finest foods in the world—Conwy mussels, Welsh laverbread, Halen Môn salt, and coracle-caught salmon and sewin. Their protected status gives recognition to the incredible skills of the producers of these foods—in many cases, skills that have been handed down and mastered over generations. But, of course, that protected status also relies on the quality of the marine environment and our ability to look after it. Whilst foods with protected status are only one example of the value of Welsh fisheries, they perfectly capture the steps we need to take as a Welsh Government to enable our fisheries to thrive: that is, we must invest in the people whose skill and commitment sustains our industries, and we must look after the environment on which those industries and the well-being of our communities rely. Welsh Government must support the seafood and aquaculture sectors to develop new skills and new relationships, so more people can enjoy the world-class produce they offer. And our Welsh seafood cluster initiative does exactly that. The Welsh Government support for the Welsh food and drink sector saw its growth exceed all expectations, reaching more than £7.4 billion a year ahead of target. The steps we will take are designed to support Welsh fisheries to make an even bigger contribution to this remarkable growth.

Welsh Government must also ensure all activities in Welsh waters are properly regulated and co-ordinated so that we protect marine biodiversity and halt the decline that is threatening the future of Welsh fisheries. Our marine plan and marine evidence strategy, both published last year, show how we as a Welsh Government can absolutely support that. We need better evidence and better enforcement, and that is why we've made substantial new investments in these areas to better preserve our seas for our historic industries and future generations. I hope our coastal communities and the many people in Wales who identify themselves with Welsh fisheries, whatever their views of Brexit, will see from today's debate that, right across the Senedd, we are prepared to take all steps necessary to secure their future.