That the Parliament recognises what it sees as the importance of Scotland’s marine environment to nature, people and the economy of the South Scotland region and across the country; further recognises what it considers to be the valuable role that the marine environment plays in addressing both the biodiversity and climate crises; considers that several key policy areas related to the preservation and use of marine habitats are fully within the control of the Scottish Government, including marine planning, fish stock assessments, and the gathering of baseline ecological data; notes the calls from stakeholders for the Scottish Government to do more to support fishermen in delivering a just transition; acknowledges that these include calls for improving access to training pathways for young people, re-skilling programmes, grants and funding for changes to equipment, and considering more detailed spatial management plans, as well as ecosystem and species management plans; notes what it considers to be the threat posed by destructive fishing practices, which can include dredging and bottom trawling, and which have reportedly been found to contribute to carbon emissions and habitat destruction; appreciates what it sees as the direct and indirect contributions that healthy inshore ecosystems provide for human wellbeing and quality of life, as well as the marine environment’s potential, when managed effectively, to aid in the transition to sustainable supply chains; notes the calls supporting the inclusion within the carbon budget of carbon stored in marine and coastal ecosystems, known as blue carbon, to ensure that efforts to achieve net zero are informed with the best possible data; acknowledges the calls on the Scottish Government to collect a higher volume and quality of data in this area to build a robust body of evidence, which can be used to inform science-backed policy, and notes the calls for policy in this area to be developed in conjunction with marine industries and third sector organisations to deliver practical, pragmatic solutions to address the biodiversity and climate crises.