I welcome today's important debate motion from Siân Gwenllian, as our coastal communities provide essential opportunities for training, employment and marine habitat restoration. And being as Rhun mentioned mussels, I'm going to give a shout out to Conwy mussels, the finest in the world—a business established over 100 years. The 'Welsh National Marine Plan', in taking a 20-year view, sets out a sector-specific objective for fisheries and aquaculture, which is to support and safeguard a sustainable, diversified and profitable fishing sector, including promoting sustainable capture fisheries and optimising the economic value of fish caught as a supply of sustainable protein.

But whilst a commitment to safeguard our fisheries is admirable, the lack of targeted action taken through legislation by this Welsh Government is astonishing. In the fifth Senedd, the Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee consistently pushed for a Welsh fisheries Bill, which the Minister committed to bringing forward in the sixth Senedd. However, this has been omitted from the programme for government. Similarly, responding to a short debate on the future of sea fishing on 24 February, the Minister said the future policy for Wales will be

'designed with stakeholders to reflect the needs of the modern Welsh fisheries sector', and she emphasised that co-production with stakeholders will be a core principle. However, following my questioning at a committee meeting on 11 March, the Welsh Fishermen's Association told the committee that it had not had not had any detailed discussions with the Welsh Government on the future Welsh fisheries policy at this point. The committee also heard that the Welsh Government's Wales marine and fisheries advisory group was experiencing challenges and was currently under review. So, in the Minister's reply to your debate today, Plaid Cymru, I would be really grateful if we could see an update for forming a timetable on such a Bill, and an update to this Senedd on whether progress with stakeholders has now been made.

Our fisheries and aquaculture plants are essential elements of the Welsh food strategy. From north Wales crab to Conwy mussels, again, small and sustainable producers are providing essential sources of protein and omega 3 to markets across our nation. But if we are to be able to have sustainable coastal communities, the aqua-food sector needs to be fully integrated into a new food and drink strategy, with alignment across all sectors. We cannot allow the division between agri-food and aqua-food to prevent us from embarking on a food-in-the-round strategy.

This needs to be implemented alongside work with stakeholders to deliver a new fishing strategy for Wales that is based on the principle of maximum sustainable yield and one that places a legal duty on the Welsh Government to maintain fish sustainability for every stock. With a fleet of over 400 licensed vessels, employing 1,193 full-time and part-time fishermen, Wales's seafood industry is important to our local economy. I wholeheartedly welcome the UK Government establishment of £100 million in the UK seafood fund, which has helped to rejuvenate the fisheries and seafood sector, taking advantage of the UK's additional fishing quota and bringing economic growth to coastal communities. But steps need to be taken now in the new fishing strategy to acknowledge the technological advancements that have been made and the monetary outlay involved in upgrading equipment in a manner that promotes the industry's green—or blue—credentials. Fishing litter makes up 21 per cent of litter found on Welsh beaches, and therefore steps need to be taken to address this. This should include money to support the push towards pots that include escape hatches to reduce ghost fishing from abandoned or lost gear.

The Welsh national marine plan area consists of approximately 32,000 sq km of expanse of sea and 2,120 km of coastline. This absolutely dwarfs our land mass and provides ample opportunity to encourage new marine jobs and apprenticeships, including in carbon capture and habitat restoration. So, I implore the Welsh Government to confirm what steps it will be taking in the immediate term to support our fisheries and aquaculture plants, so that we do not sink the ambitions of our small business owners and undermine the longevity of our coastal communities. Diolch yn fawr, Plaid Cymru, for bringing forward this debate.