I'm grateful to the Member for Arfon for tabling this afternoon's motion on behalf of the Plaid Cymru group. Last week, I stood here and championed the need for co-operation, partnership and teamwork in tackling some of the biggest challenges facing this country. And indeed, today, I and my Welsh Conservative colleagues are here with that very same attitude of collaboration. That's why we'll be supporting this motion this afternoon.

I'm pleased too that the Welsh Government has recognised the value of an opposition party's motion, and I hope this afternoon's debate will at least demonstrate a glimpse of what can be achieved when we work in unison.

Now, as the Member for Mid and West Wales rightly touched on in his opening speech, Wales possesses a wealth of resources, potential and opportunity, all of which can be targeted and utilised in supporting and growing our fisheries and aquaculture industry. I'm also pleased that the Member also highlighted the new opportunities for Welsh fisheries given our European exit; however, in order for the benefits to be felt, it is absolutely right that the Welsh Government works with a whole range of key industry stakeholders, both public and private, to further develop a fisheries and aquaculture strategy that focuses upon sustainability, investment and industry.

I'm sure the Minister will recall my very first rural affairs question to her, relating to a statement she made at an event in Cardiff as part of Seafood Week in 2016. At that event, she announced the Welsh Government's intention to double sea aquaculture production by 2020. Since then, the Welsh Government's 2019 marine plan and subsequent 2020 report failed to mention or address this aim, and, in her reply to me, she highlighted the issues around meeting our seafood export target. Whilst I still remain significantly concerned by this, and understand the issues the Minister raised with regard to the export issues at the beginning of this year, I'm confident that this motion today will ensure that the Welsh Government will prioritise its efforts in doubling down and ensuring that this target is met.

But let us not forget that the benefits of a strong and sustainable fisheries and aquaculture industry will reach every corner of Wales. In my own constituency, for example, Angle's Atlantic ocean oyster company are leading the way in developing restoration methods for Pembrokeshire's native oyster. Rather than just take from the sea, Atlantic Edge Oyster, headed up by Dr Andy Woolmer and supported by Ben Cutting, are working to restore oyster numbers off the coast of Pembrokeshire, and not only does this remove excess nutrients from our waters, but it also provides a better habitat for a healthier ecosystem for other marine life. The oysters also find their ways into the restaurants across Wales, further showing their benefit to our economy.

Indeed, we certainly shouldn't underestimate the role aquaculture can play in helping to meet a whole range of sustainability goals and targets either. Researchers at Queen's Belfast university are developing a three-year trial that seeks to evaluate the use of UK-sourced seaweed in helping to cut methane emissions in cattle. However, not only does seaweed reduce methane emissions—and we've heard much about this given COP26 this last fortnight—but early reports have indicated that its consumption can improve cattle health and enhance the quality of meat and milk that they produce. Yet another groundbreaking project with unrestricted levels of supply chain reach, and it brings a very new meaning to the phrase 'surf and turf'.

And I've seen the benefits of similar projects first-hand, as this summer I joined my colleague the Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire on a visit to Câr-y-Môr, Wales's first commercial seaweed and shellfish farm. Not only does this zero-input farming project encapsulate the natural minerals and nutrients of the Celtic sea, removing the need for fertiliser and pesticides, but it also improves our coastal environment, encourages a swell in aquatic biodiversity and stimulates jobs growth, offering young people a direct route into a truly integrated Welsh aquaculture sector. While many of the seaweeds grown have a specific commercial value and destination, some of the seaweed grown isn't suitable for the retail market, but it is absolutely suitable as a cattle feed additive. We need not look any further than our natural waters for promising ideas and groundbreaking projects. However, they just need the Welsh Government's support and not to be seen as an afterthought in policy.

I commend Plaid Cymru for bringing this motion forward today. Not only should we be wholeheartedly backing our fishing and aquaculture industry, but we should also be developing policy that has far-reaching, undeniable benefits for a whole range of other sectors, economically and environmentally. Diolch yn fawr.