Chamber and committees

Fishing can be a challenging and unpredictable livelihood, and we recognise the importance of supporting our fishing communities.

No specific support has been targeted at fishers' families or partners, however, we have continued to make funding available through our Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) to support young fishers and to secure the long-term viability of the industry and provide resilience for the workforce. Between 2021 -2024 MFS has awarded 37 young fishers over £2.5 million in grants to enable them to purchase their first fishing vessel (or a share in a vessel). We have provided support of £5 million in 2020-21 and 2021-22 to help the farming, fishing, food and drink sector recover from Brexit and COVID-19.

In 2023 we carried out further research into factors affecting fishers’ decision making and the report is available here - What factors influence the strategies and choices of Scottish fishers? A feasibility study.

This research found that family life, wellbeing, and working conditions are important considerations when fishers decide whether to leave or stay in the industry.

This is still a topic of interest where further research and insight in collaboration with industry and the research communities would be welcomed.

Tackling inequality is a top priority for Scottish Ministers and this is evident across much of the Scottish Government’s work.

The goal of the Women in Scottish Fisheries report was to challenge and raise women’s profile, but we recognise that the views on equality and fair employment in fishing communities remain complex with many women taking on significant but informal or unpaid roles.

We have continued to make funding available through our Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) to support young fishers to enter the fishing industry and to secure the resilience and long-term viability of the industry. Between 2021 and 2024 MFS has awarded 37 young fishers over £2.5 million in grants to enable them to purchase their first fishing vessel (or a share in a vessel).

The Women in Scottish Fisheries report provides a thorough overview of the importance of women across the industry and specifies that creating an attractive, safe and supportive environment for women, might direct us towards achieving a more equitable, and sustainable industry overall.

This remains a live topic that the Scottish Government is keen to explore in the future and we encourage industry to take the lead to bring about change wherever possible. We recognise that some actions may need to be initiated by government and we want to explore options for collaborative working and for actions to be developed in partnership with the fishing industry.

The Scottish Government is supporting early adopters of new technology to deliver on emission targets and we have provided over £500,000 Marine Fund Scotland (MFS) support since 2021 for individual projects contributing to fuel efficiencies. Of this, over £43,000 was for vessels to convert to electric power and over £42,000 to explore options for larger vessels.

As we progress towards identifying solutions to support Net Zero targets, many of the actions that are required will need to be developed and initiated by the fishing industry and others in the private sector. Regulators and policy makers also need to identify and remove barriers where this is possible.

Scotland's Fisheries Management Strategy 2020-2030 seeks to recognise the important role that all parts of society make to the fishing industry, and to promote involvement across all genders and equalities groups in a positive and inclusive way.

We would be happy to work with the industry to shape the policy outcomes which contribute to better outcomes for women working in the sector.

I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-33899 on 31 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers

We carried out a survey from 1 August to 6 September 2024 to ask the Fisheries Management and Conservation (FMAC) group members, and some wider stakeholders, their views on the current functioning and effectiveness of the group. A summary of responses alongside confirmation of any changes we will make, will be published in due course.

The Scottish Government recognises the impact that child poverty has on families with a baby, and that some of these families may use food or baby banks.

Scotland is the first nation in the UK to publish a Cash-First Plan, grounded in human rights, that works towards ending the need for food banks in Scotland through promoting cash-first responses, including to meet the needs of infants. Scotland was also the first country in the UK to develop an Infant Food Insecurity Toolkit for local partners, based on the Unicef advice.

Where direct provision of infant formula is needed our Toolkit sets out how emergency local pathways could provide this safely, responsively and sustainably through health professionals and other local provision. This includes recommendations that food banks, where possible, provide cash-equivalent vouchers or purchase infant formula to meet need, avoiding the unpredictability of donated formula.

Anyone supporting a family in a crisis should refer them to their local authority or a health professional, such as a health visitor, family nurse, or midwife, in order to ensure they are getting the holistic support they need. This includes financial advice, and a referral to cash-first crisis supports such as the Scottish Welfare Fund.

During the development of the climate change plan and update there was extensive engagement across all sectors and a public consultation on the draft plan was open for everyone to provide comment. The consultation ran from 16 December 2020 to 31 March 2021.

We considered all available evidence and advice at the time in the development of the Climate Change Plan Update and will do so again in the development of the next Plan, in line with our commitment to a just and fair transition to Net Zero.