I'm really pleased to speak in this debate today, and I thank Llyr for his expert chairing, and my fellow committee members for bringing forward the report and the recommendations. There's a lot to unpack, but the clear message we received was about the need for the national marine plan to consider the cumulative impacts of developments. I think that the economy Minister's statement yesterday on offshore marine energy underlined how the Welsh Government is determined that economic benefits and renewable energy benefits should deliver environmental benefits too. So, I trust that that approach will guide the forthcoming review of the Welsh national marine plan.

I was part of the predecessor committee that looked into the management of marine protected areas in the previous Senedd. Five years on from that initial inquiry, our recommendation regarding the identification and designation of marine conservation zones remain broadly unaddressed—which the Welsh Government has acknowledged. So, I look forward to receiving updates on the next phase of the work in the coming months. But I would welcome some clarity on what a marine conservation zone is. What happens within it? What can't possibly happen within it? There seems to be a lot of conflicting messages on that front. One of them, clearly, going forward, is going to be the licensing of renewable energy. So, we really need some clarity there.

I want to turn to blue carbon. I wouldn't miss an opportunity, of course, to talk about blue carbon. Our sea grass, saltmarsh and seaweed habitats, and all the carbon that is stored and absorbed by the Welsh marine environment is far more than that which is stored in our woodlands or on land. And there was a distressing story, wasn't there, about Bangor University laying sea grass and then someone coming along and destroying it in a very short time. So, maybe that fits with my earlier question about what is a marine protected zone.

I'm very pleased that the Welsh Government has accepted the recommendation to explore how our blue carbon habitats can be maintained and enhanced. The Minister cites the nature networks programme as a mechanism through which to do that, so it would be very useful to have an update on that programme soon. I'm also looking forward to an update on the shared blue carbon evidence plan, and I understand that's currently under development. 

Finally, we did ask the Government to set out the purpose and timeline for the public consultation on dredging and bottom trawling in Welsh MPAs. I note the Petitions Committee recently considered a plea to 'Stop bulldozing our seas!' and I certainly sympathise with the petitioner's view. The Minister has accepted the recommendation, which is good news, but the timescales seem to be just a little bit hazy. Again, I should say that I've sat on previous Senedd committees that urged progress on this matter. I recall a draft consultation on towed gear in 2018. But to me there is something fundamentally wrong with being able to drag anything along the sea bed, taking out everything that exists there. And I'm sure, if this happened on land, if we went along just bulldozing the land and everybody could see it, there would be uproar, and I'm just concerned that people aren't at all in any way understanding what sea dredging really means and the damage that it does. So, I'd be grateful for a specific commitment and timeline on that. Thank you.