Scottish Parliament – Nov. 18, 2025 – 3

S6M-19739.1: As an amendment to motion S6M-19739 in the name of Mairi Gougeon (Supporting Scotland’s Fishing Industry), after "economy;

" insert "further recognises the central role that Scotland's low-impact fishing fleet plays for those communities, both economically and environmentally, and believes that the fund should prioritise that fleet;

accepts that all parts of Scotland's fleet, not just the low-impact sector, will continue to experience a spatial squeeze without proper spatial management for fisheries, based on science and with strong local input;

".

Original motion(S6M-19739): That the Parliament condemns the UK Government’s damaging decision to allocate Scotland only £28 million of the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, which is only 7.78% of the fund;

agrees that this is an entirely unfair settlement and calls on the UK Government to reverse this decision, as called for by the Scottish Government and industry stakeholders;

acknowledges that Scotland previously received 46% of the EU funding allocated to the UK;

welcomes that the Scottish fishing sector accounts for over 60% of the UK’s fishing capacity and over 60% of UK seafood exports, and that more than 75% of all UK quota species are landed by Scottish vessels;

recognises the need for continued investment to build a thriving, sustainable and modern fishing industry, which is of key importance to Scotland’s island and coastal communities and the wider economy;

acknowledges the range of challenges facing the fishing industry, including the ongoing negotiations with international partners to agree fishing opportunities for 2026 and the challenging advice for a number of key stocks, and further acknowledges Scotland's negotiating position, which seeks to balance sustainably managed fish stocks alongside a sustainable and prosperous fishing sector.