The next item is the Plaid Cymru debate on fisheries and aquaculture.

Motion NDM7825 Siân Gwenllian

To propose that the Senedd:

Calls on the Welsh Government to work with industry stakeholders to further develop a fisheries and aquaculture policy, backed by a strategy that has sustainability, investment and industry engagement at its core.

Motion moved.

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. The purpose of this debate is to raise awareness of an important industry that was once very prosperous in Wales, but that has, unfortunately, been in decline for many years. However, with dedicated support from the Government, it could contribute to the economic regeneration of our coastal communities—socially as well. We have poetry, folk songs and sea shanties that are fantastic, which go back many years and that bear witness to the proud maritime traditions of Wales.

However, let me paint you a picture of the position of the sector now. In 2012, 26,000 tonnes of fish were landed by UK vessels at Welsh ports. In 2016, this had dropped to 15,000 tonnes, and by 2020, it was down to 9,600 tonnes, with Belgian ships accounting for a third of the fish landed. In that year, just over 4,000 tonnes had been landed by Welsh vessels—less than half the annual catch. We could, therefore, conclude, based on these figures, that our commercial fishing activity is declining to such an extent that it is in danger of disappearing into oblivion. That's why we need a strategy to support and create a sector that's vibrant, sustainable and viable in Wales during this Senedd term.

Llywydd, the UK Fisheries Act 2020 provides the framework for UK fishing policy post Brexit. The Act extends the Senedd's legislative competence to include the whole of Welsh waters, known as the Welsh zone. So, clearly, this is a golden opportunity to revive the industry and develop a strategy to move it forward. Now, the previous Welsh Government consulted on post-Brexit marine and fisheries policies known as 'Brexit and our Seas' in 2019. In a written statement accompanying the summary of responses, the Minister said this:

'We must develop a sustainable, ecosystems based policy which works with all other marine polices.'

So, clearly, in the previous Senedd, there was a strong commitment to developing a sustainable fisheries policy.

Unfortunately, within the programme for government in this sixth Senedd, there is no mention of fisheries and aquaculture at all. It is as though they did not exist at all. We can only conclude, therefore, that the sector is not a priority for the Welsh Government. The Wales fisheries strategy 2008 and the strategic action plan for the sector for 2013 are now out of date.

The Welsh Government may wish to draw our attention to the 'Welsh National Marine Plan' as an indication of progress in this area. Fine, the plan does contain two specific sections on aquaculture and fisheries. However, these are not sufficiently distinct strategies with enough focus to drive significant progress in the sector. And the sector itself, very interestingly, certainly doesn't think that this is as good as having a comprehensive action plan. 

It is worth noting that the environment committee in the previous Senedd produced a report on the impact of Brexit on fisheries in Wales in 2018. The first recommendation in the report called on the Welsh Government to publish an ambitious strategy, with a focus on growing fisheries in Wales. Although the Welsh Government accepted the recommendation at the time, the reality is that very little has been done to deliver on this commitment since then. It may well be that the Welsh Government will again highlight the 2018 consultation, 'Brexit and our Seas', which I've already mentioned. However, while stakeholders have invested considerable time in responding to the consultation, once again, little has happened since then.

Now, the responsibility for the management of marine fisheries in Welsh waters lies with Welsh Government's marine and fisheries division. This centralised delivery model was adopted over 10 years ago. It was anticipated this new consolidated delivery model would provide scope for the better use of resources, provide a coherent approach to managing Welsh fisheries and improve the fishing industry's involvement in decision making.

Unfortunately, despite best efforts, the perceived benefits of this centralised model have failed to materialise, even though budgets and human resources within the division have increased significantly in the last decade. The division has been without an up-to-date strategy or measurable plan to deliver coherent fisheries management since 2014. And to compound the situation, Welsh Government are currently without any formal stakeholder engagement mechanism with the sector. 

It has to be said, therefore, that the effects on the fishing industry of leaving the EU, together with the tardiness in providing better management of fisheries, make the future of Welsh sea fishing extremely uncertain, which is a matter of great concern, of course.

So, what sort of ambition does the Welsh Government have for creating a sector that is vibrant, sustainable and economically resilient for the future, given the marked decline in the number of fish landed at Welsh ports over the last five years?

The truth is that there has been chronic underinvestment in the sector over a number of years. Aside from investment in infrastructure at Milford fish docks seven years ago, the level of financial support has been very low. Also, there is concern that the fleet of vessels, ageing every year, is in decline due to a lack of investment.

Let me turn now to aquaculture. As the demand for seafood is increasing, technology has made it possible to grow food in coastal marine waters and the open ocean. Aquaculture is a method used to produce food and other commercial products, restore habitat and replenish wild stocks, and rebuild populations of threatened and endangered species.

The Minister has already stated prior to the summer recess that she was committed to delivering the strategic targets for aquaculture set for 2013 to 2020. For example, shellfish—the target was to double production from 8,000 tonnes to 16,000 tonnes, but it's apparent we've gone significantly backwards from that baseline even before COVID and before Brexit.

Recently, I was part of a Plaid Cymru delegation that visited the pioneering aquaculture facility in Penmon, with the Member for Ynys Môn, and I saw the opportunities that the sector can bring to Wales. This is the fastest growing food sector in the world. The staff at Mowi Ltd in Penmon have broken new ground in using innovative techniques for producing cleaner fish species, placing these farms in the vanguard in Europe.

Llywydd, Wales—oh, sorry, Dirprwy Lywydd—Wales has the potential natural capital and knowledge base to further develop the aquaculture sector, but we need Welsh Government to realign and focus policy and resources on the sector in a more co-ordinated and integrated way. The aquaculture sector can support job creation, innovation, contribute to nature-based ecosystem services and truly take its place in Wales’s mission to become a sustainable food-producing nation. 

So, with exciting prospects for a rapidly growing sector, we need to know what the Government's future strategy is to support aquaculture in Wales, and indeed what its strategy is to take advantage of the potential to grow this industry in Wales for the future. Thank you.

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.

We deliberately brought a broad scope to this motion today, because we do feel that there is huge scope to bring benefits to Wales in having a clear, ambitious strategy, properly supported in financial terms, in order to support fisheries and the fishing industry more generally. And the benefits could come in a number of different forms—economic benefits first of all, yes, in terms of generating income, bringing investment and job creation. And Cefin specifically mentioned the potential of aquaculture. The potential to develop terrestrial fish farms is huge. The expertise behind the developments that we heard mentioned in Penmon on Anglesey is expertise that could lead to further developments—fish farming for consumption. They are using fish to clean, which is part of sustainable salmon fishing, but the same expertise could be used to develop fish farming for human consumption too.

I attended a lecture the other evening on the potential of farming a particular type of lobster, and I've learned a great deal this week about that. And the work is happening now to develop the expertise to farm that commercially. But the developers intend to take that expertise to either France or Italy because of a lack of confidence that they would get Welsh Government support. So, is the Minister really willing to allow that expertise to leave Wales, or does she want to see this as being something that we could invest in? And to give you an idea, they published investment that could lead to an industry that could be worth $160 million in Australia—that's on an annual basis—for lobster farming. Do we want that here or do we want to let that slip from our grasp? And, by the way, may I extend an invitation to the Minister to come to Penmon to see the excellent work that's happening there?

There are community benefits too, not only in providing vibrancy in coastal areas and generating jobs in such communities or making the industry more sustainable and helping it to grow, but there is a means here to enhance our marine heritage too, which perhaps isn't as deep-rooted as it is in areas of Cornwall or Scotland, but it is there, and it's important in parts of my constituency. And this is part of the appeal that I, Cefin and others have been calling for in asking for Government support for the catch and release programme for the bluefin tuna recently, something that has been happening in the waters of the rest of these isles, but not in Wales. And we're missing out here, and I don't quite understand why the Government couldn't welcome that as something that would be a valuable environmental step and could also bring benefits to our coastal communities. 

To conclude, we need a strategy, as we've already heard. My constituents, for example, in the mussels sector, have been demanding a strategy for many years. They've been seeking investment and support for the processing of mussels, for example, and that demand for a strategy was strong before we left the European Union and it's now even more important, after their sector was destroyed as a result of Brexit. But a strategy was launched, as we've heard, back at the end of 2016, and a pledge was made, but that came to an end. There were targets—targets set for significant growth in the sector, but, without a strategy that is operational, without creating capacity in the Welsh Government's fisheries division, without clarity on funding—and I think our experience was very poor in how European funds were spent here, by the way—and without real and enthusiastic engagement by the Minister herself, then we won't have a sector left to grow, I fear.

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.

Thank you, Janet. The fishing industry is extremely important to our communities here in Wales, and to the communities of Dwyfor Meirionnydd. The sector has huge potential and it's an ongoing surprise to me that the Government doesn't do more to invest in this sector and to secure its viability. I had the privilege of going crab and lobster fishing with Sion Williams from Porth Colmon over the summer months, and saw the huge contribution that his work makes to the local economy, but also the local community, as he provides food of excellent quality, full of protein and healthy, to local suppliers.

Now, this afternoon's debate calls for the further development of a fisheries and aquaculture policy. And if there's one statistic that shows the huge weakness in the current system and why we desperately need a far clearer and stronger policy, then I will mention that statistic. Cefin mentioned the amount of fish landed in Welsh ports, but in terms of the fish landed from Welsh seas, do you know that 83,000 tonnes of food is landed from Welsh waters—83,000—and of that 83,000, as Cefin said at the very beginning of this debate, around 4,000 or sometimes 8,000 tonnes is landed by Welsh fishers? That is to say that less than 10 per cent of the catch from Welsh seas brings direct economic benefit to Welsh communities. That is the definition of an extractive economy. What other industry would the Government allow this to happen to?

It also demonstrates the huge potential that there is to develop a prosperous, indigenous sector that can play a central role in regenerating coastal communities, providing quality jobs that provide healthy and sustainable produce. In speaking to fishers the length and breadth of Wales, their concern is that there has been no progress in the sector for over 10 years. The challenges and problems facing the sector remain the same as they were 10 years and more ago.

If you consider regulation of fisheries, there is a huge problem in this area. Fishers are taking proactive steps to gather data and to improve practice by collaborating with public bodies, universities and so on in order to develop the sector, but this is not reflected in any of the Government's programmes. The industry is crying out for policies and strong regulatory regimes to enable it to develop a sustainable resource for future generations and to strengthen the Welsh brand and, in turn, to enhance the value of that brand. For example, there is not one harvesting regulation at the moment. The Minister should come out with me, with Sion Williams, and go from Porth Colmon on that boat in order to see the good practice that Sion is developing there. Any lobster that he caught that was laden with eggs was returned immediately to the sea. Lobsters under a particular size are expected to be thrown back into the sea, but there is no limit on the number of lobsters that can be taken. Now, fair play to Sion for being a responsible fisher, but there is no expectation on him to do that.

Scallops are not only very tasty, but also in abundance in Cardigan bay, and contribute substantially to the fish landed by Welsh fishers. Whilst those who have the right to fish for scallops need a licence to do that, the fisher could use one boat or 100 boats. Once again, there is no control over the catch.

Some will refer to the new Catch app that is being used to record and monitor data on fish landed, and that is an exciting development, but it doesn't give a clear and full picture either. It doesn't show which fish were thrown back, for example, which would enable the authorities to have a clearer picture of the health of our seas and what steps need to be taken to ensure better management for the future of the industry. That lack of regulation, therefore, on catch is one example of the fundamental weaknesses in the system.

Fundamentally, the current system is failing our fishers and the seas. As things stand, everything is controlled directly by the Government, and it's clear now that that isn't sufficient and cannot be implemented fully. Unlike the red meat sector, where you have Hybu Cig Cymru doing excellent work, or in discussing natural resources such as our land and waters, where we have Natural Resources Wales as a regulator, you have no external body overseeing the fisheries and aquaculture sector. This is what I regularly hear from the sector, and that's why we brought this motion forward today.

Finally, just to inform you that I will be establishing a new cross-party group on fisheries and aquaculture in a few months' time, and there's an invitation, therefore, to any Member to join that group in the new year when it is established. Thank you.

I call on the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Lesley Griffiths. 

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I very much welcome the opportunity to discuss this important issue and thank Members for their contributions, and the Government will be supporting the original motion.

We all want to see fishing and aquaculture industries in Wales that are sustainable and environmentally conscious, as well as economically viable and thriving. I do want to draw your attention to the 'Welsh National Marine Plan'. It's the first of its kind, and it does already set the high-level strategic policy goal for both fisheries and aquaculture. Sustainable growth of aquaculture in Wales is a key element of the plan and we are of course aware of the environmental benefits that low trophic aquaculture, such as shellfish and seaweed production, brings.

I am committed to further developing these goals into a strategic approach for both fisheries and aquaculture, in line with the motion today. I know there is a desire amongst stakeholders for a new fisheries and aquaculture strategy, and I fully recognise and understand that request. There are several matters in play, though, which we must consider when developing our strategic approach. This includes our statutory duty to produce a joint fisheries statement and associated fisheries management plans with the other fisheries administrations.

Fisheries and aquaculture also play their part in a number of our own policies, strategies and programme for government commitments, including the wider marine blue recovery, our food and drink strategies, the delivery of sustainable management of natural resources and, of course, the blue carbon agenda, and our commitments in Net Zero Wales. It is important that we bring together all of these strands when further developing our strategic approach to the fisheries sector.

I remain fully committed to continuing to work with stakeholders to develop the approach that we take, and sustainability, investment and industry engagement will be absolutely core to this. And, indeed, I met some of them last week and we are committed to the co-management of our fisheries and the co-production of our policies, and I will be meeting and discussing the approach again with stakeholders next month.

In terms of our longer term approach to this issue, we are reviewing the main fisheries advisory group to ensure that it is best designed to allow us to have that meaningful engagement and co-management approach. I anticipate being able to discuss this further with our stakeholders next month.

I recognise that the world has changed significantly since the 'Wales Marine and Fisheries Strategic Action Plan' was produced in 2013, and aspects of that strategy do require updating. But I must be clear what I don't think is needed is to produce a document that sits on a shelf. It's far more important that we set out clear, shared strategic priorities for the sector, and that we can work collaboratively to deliver.

It is important for colleagues to recognise, though, that we are not waiting for a strategy to undertake the work that is required. We are already progressing work on areas that will be key to informing our approach. We know, for example, that a cornerstone of our fisheries policy will be sustainable fisheries, managed in an adaptive way with evidence-based decisions taken on the best available science. And this is why I have prioritised the drafting of a whelk Order, due to come into force before the end of this year. This is a key piece of legislation and one that will provide a template for the management of other non-quota species.

Key to growth for our fishing industry is the increase in share of the UK quota I've already delivered. We will be considering how best to allocate this additional quota in the future. We will vigorously pursue sustainable catch limits in the upcoming coastal state negotiations with the European Union. Operating in the domestic quota management system, we will ensure that Welsh fishers have quota availability to realise their developmental aspirations.

We also know for many of our larger aquaculture businesses the importance of the security provided by fisheries Orders, and that is why we are prioritising this work, starting with the Order in Menai east.

Any strategy will need to be underpinned by a clear plan for investment in our seafood sector, and crucial to this investment will be the support we provide through a replacement to the European maritime and fisheries fund scheme. We will design and develop a funding scheme that will help us deliver our strategic goals and, again, I want to hear the views of stakeholders on their scheme as we approach it over the coming weeks.

Just to reassure Janet Finch-Saunders, the fisheries Bill would not appear in the programme for government. It will appear in the legislative programme and, as you're aware, this is a five-year term, with one year of the legislative programme already agreed.

In summary, then, the Government is happy to support today's motion and reconfirm our commitment to delivering a strategic approach to both fisheries and aquaculture, in collaboration with our stakeholders. Diolch.

I call on Cefin Campbell to reply to the debate. 

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Put simply, as I summarise, the motion before us this afternoon calls on the Welsh Government to work with industry stakeholders to develop a fisheries and aquaculture policy, backed by a strategy that has sustainability, investment and industry engagement at its core. Could I thank everyone who has contributed to this very interesting and very useful debate across the political spectrum? It's good to see that everyone is committed to supporting this special motion.

Sam, of course, on behalf of the Conservatives, has referred to a number of examples in his area of Pembrokeshire in terms of the oyster farming and seaweed harvesting that he referred to, which bring new potential to the sea fishing industry, and this is something that research shows we need to make more of, given that the potential is exceptional.

Sam threw me the bait—excuse the pun—which I'm happy to take, around opportunities from Brexit. I'm afraid I don't quite agree with his analysis, because what I'm seeing across coastal areas of the UK and the fishing industry is absolute chaos at the moment. I'm looking forward to seeing, as the Minister outlined, some clear strategy from Welsh Government about utilising, from that chaos, a way forward for the industry.

Rhun supports this in terms of job creation and economic benefits, stating that there is great potential for aquaculture, that we have expertise in Wales that is admired across the whole of Europe, that we have concerns that that expertise and that capacity and ability that we have in Wales is going to be lost, and, as we heard Rhun mention, the possibility that much of the potential is going to be transferred to France or to Italy. That would be a huge loss for us here in Wales. And something that I have asked the Minister about: the loss of a great opportunity in terms of the catch and release programme for bluefin tuna and licensing vessels to capitalise economically in fishing for this great fish.

Thank you, Janet, for championing Conwy mussels. I'll have to try them one day. You're absolutely right to highlight the lack of targeted action, and it is quite astonishing that this hasn't happened over the last few years. You were asking and imploring the Minister to involve the industry in future planning, and the Minister has given an affirmative response to that, saying that she is actually doing that as we speak. And another well-made point by Janet is the need to integrate aqua-food into the food and drink strategy, which I wholeheartedly agree with. The investment in this industry will protect coastal communities moving forward.

I thank Mabon as well, who was surprised, as many of us are, with the lack of strategy, and referring to the extractive economy: once again, Wales's wealth being lost to external nations. About 10 per cent, he mentioned, of Welsh fishers benefit from the payments made in Welsh waters. Mabon also referred to the lack of regulation in this area, and the need to establish a regulatory body, not only in terms of that element, but to promote also, like Hybu Cig Cymru promote Welsh meat.

To close, I'd like the thank the Minister for supporting the motion, and I support her commitment now to develop a strategy. She confirmed that she is talking to prominent figures in the industry—stakeholders, and so forth—and developing a legislative programme, and that's to be welcomed, to tackle this very special sector.

So, to close, Deputy Presiding Officer, I just want to note this: Scotland, Northern Ireland and England are miles ahead of Wales in terms of developing sea fishing and the aquaculture industry. It's time for us to catch up with these countries and take advantage of the great opportunities that we have to benefit economically from the waters around us in Wales. So, if the Welsh Government wants a prosperous sector in the future, what we need is a robust strategy, and this would provide a great boost to the economy in our coastal communities. So, I urge the Minister to continue her discussions, and I look forward to her bringing the legislation before the Senedd to ensure that the industry receives the support it deserves. Thank you very much.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? No. The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

In accordance with Standing Order 12.18, I will suspend the meeting before proceeding to voting time.

Plenary was suspended at 17:07.

The Senedd reconvened at 17:11, with the Deputy Presiding Officer in the Chair.