English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to respond to this short debate regarding Prince Madog, brought forward by Rhun ap Iorwerth, and also to have the opportunity to discuss the marine part of my portfolio, which I don't think perhaps we do enough in this Chamber. We all share a commitment to clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse seas. This means Government working with all of our stakeholders to have robust evidence to enable informed and integrated assessment of the state of our seas. As Rhun pointed out, this research, I think, will be even more important as we exit the EU and plan how we manage the condition and use of our seas in the future. I'm currently considering the responses to our first marine plan and that sets out our marine policies and management, which will be underpinned by good evidence. The Government is already part of a range of marine monitoring and assessment work programmes, including the achievement of good environmental status through the UK marine strategy. These programmes exist to provide the evidence to understand and respond to the health, condition, productivity and resilience of Welsh seas. They also provide an understanding of the key pressures on the marine ecosystem and interactions with human activity. Specific priority areas for collection include biodiversity data, both within marine protected areas and the wider marine environment, biological and landing data on stocks caught by commercial and recreational fisheries, data to assess the impact of human activities on the marine ecosystem, detailed data on the capacity and activity of fishing, and social, economic and environmental data on fisheries and aquaculture. In developing policy, we also take account of evidence presented through the 'Wales' Marine Evidence Report', 'The State of Natural Resources Report' for Wales, and the online marine planning evidence portal. We also commission and support targeted research on a wide range of marine subjects. In recent years, this has included reports on marine protected areas management and condition, reviews of aggregate dredging, assessing the impacts of fisheries' activities, studies of scallop dredging and assessments of the potential of aquaculture. We also have significant further evidence-related activity under way or planned, and some examples are development of a new marine biodiversity monitoring programme, various aquaculture studies, and research on marine energy development. With an eye to EU exit shortly after the referendum, I assembled a round-table group of representative stakeholders to seek their help to identify and understand the potential challenges and opportunities Brexit presents for Wales. The seas and coast sub-group, formed from members of the round-table and the existing Wales marine advisory and action group, has helped provide a focus on our consideration of Brexit and our seas. [ Interruption.] I'm sorry about this. Thank you very much. So, the members have worked with me and the rest of the Government to shape five key themes to work towards as we leave the European Union to further guide our policy development, and one of these themes is standing on our two feet by enhancing our marine science and data collection capability. So, working with academia at a strategic and operational level is very much an important component of our research work, and the School of Ocean Sciences at Bangor University have been a very valuable partner to us in recent years. Compared to the terrestrial environment, there is sometimes limited evidence on the status of the marine environment and the impact of human activities on it, and such evidence can be expensive and technically challenging to collect, which is why I do appreciate that research vessels like the Prince Madog can play an important role. I think the point that Rhun ap Iorwerth made about not losing such a valuable asset is very important. So, in the first instance, what I've asked my officials to do is meet with Bangor University to see what problems they're facing, and to see how we can help. I too would also like to visit so I can have a photograph, like Rhun, on the vessel. I heard your call for a status of a national maritime ship. It's something we need to, obviously, look into. Again, around funding, obviously I can't commit, but I would be very happy to have those discussions with them. During my oral Assembly questions session this afternoon, I said to Rhun that Anglesey is becoming a real hub for tidal energy, and I think that part of north-west Wales is becoming even more important to the marine part of my portfolio. So, I'd be very happy to do that, and update Rhun and other Members in due course. Diolch.
Welsh: Diolch ichi, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwy'n falch iawn o ymateb i'r ddadl fer hon ynghylch y Prince Madog a gyflwynwyd gan Rhun ap Iorwerth, a hefyd i gael cyfle i drafod y rhan o fy mhortffolio sy'n ymwneud â'r môr, testun nad wyf yn meddwl ein bod yn trafod digon arno yn y Siambr hon o bosibl. Rydym i gyd yn rhannu ymrwymiad i foroedd glân, iach, diogel, cynhyrchiol ac amrywiol yn fiolegol. Golyga hyn fod y Llywodraeth yn gweithio gyda'n holl randdeiliaid i gael tystiolaeth gadarn er mwyn gallu cael asesiad deallus a chyfunol o gyflwr ein moroedd. Fel y nododd Rhun, credaf y bydd yr ymchwil yn bwysicach byth wrth inni adael yr UE a chynllunio sut rydym yn rheoli cyflwr a defnydd o'n moroedd yn y dyfodol. Rwyf ar hyn o bryd yn ystyried yr ymatebion i'n cynllun morol cyntaf ac mae'n nodi ein polisïau a'n rheolaeth forol, a fydd yn seiliedig ar dystiolaeth dda. Mae'r Llywodraeth eisoes yn rhan o amrywiaeth o raglenni gwaith i fonitro ac asesu'r môr, gan gynnwys cyflawni statws amgylcheddol da drwy strategaeth forol y DU. Mae'r rhaglenni hyn yn bodoli i ddarparu'r dystiolaeth i ddeall ac ymateb i iechyd, cyflwr, cynhyrchiant a gwydnwch moroedd Cymru. Maent hefyd yn darparu dealltwriaeth o'r pwysau allweddol ar ecosystemau morol a'r rhyngweithio a geir â gweithgaredd dynol. Mae meysydd blaenoriaeth penodol ar gyfer casglu data yn cynnwys data ar fioamrywiaeth mewn ardaloedd morol gwarchodedig ac yn yr amgylchedd morol ehangach, data biolegol a data glanio ar gyfer stociau a ddaliwyd gan bysgodfeydd masnachol a hamdden, data i asesu effaith gweithgareddau dynol ar yr ecosystem forol, data manwl ar gapasiti a gweithgarwch pysgota a data cymdeithasol, economaidd ac amgylcheddol ar bysgodfeydd a dyframaeth. Wrth ddatblygu polisi, rydym hefyd yn ystyried tystiolaeth a gyflwynwyd drwy 'Adroddiad Tystiolaeth Morol Cymru', yr 'Adroddiad ar Sefyllfa Adnoddau Naturiol' ar gyfer Cymru a'r porth tystiolaeth cynllunio morol ar-lein. Rydym hefyd yn comisiynu ac yn cefnogi gwaith ymchwil wedi'i dargedu ar amrywiaeth eang o bynciau morol. Yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf, mae hyn wedi cynnwys adroddiadau ar reolaeth a chyflwr ardaloedd morol gwarchodedig, adolygiadau o garthu agregau, asesu effeithiau gweithgareddau pysgodfeydd, astudiaethau treillio am gregyn bylchog ac asesiadau o botensial dyframaethu. Hefyd mae gennym gryn dipyn o weithgaredd pellach sy'n gysylltiedig â thystiolaeth ar y gweill neu wedi'i gynllunio, ac mae rhai o'r enghreifftiau'n cynnwys datblygu rhaglen fonitro bioamrywiaeth forol newydd, amrywiol astudiaethau dyframaeth, ac ymchwil ar ddatblygu ynni morol. Gyda golwg ar adael yr UE yn fuan ar ôl y refferendwm, sefydlais grŵp bwrdd crwn o randdeiliaid cynrychioliadol i ofyn am eu help i nodi a deall yr heriau a'r cyfleoedd posibl y mae Brexit yn eu cynnig i Gymru. Mae is-grŵp y moroedd a'r arfordir, a ffurfiwyd o aelodau o'r bwrdd crwn a grŵp cynghori a gweithredu presennol Cymru ar faterion morol, wedi helpu i roi ffocws ar ein hystyriaeth o Brexit a'n moroedd. [ Torri ar draws.] Mae'n ddrwg gennyf am hyn. Diolch yn fawr iawn. Felly, mae'r aelodau wedi gweithio gyda mi a gweddill y Llywodraeth i lunio'r pum thema allweddol i weithio tuag atynt wrth inni adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd i arwain ein datblygiadau polisi ymhellach, ac un o'r themâu hyn yw sefyll ar ein traed ein hunain drwy wella ein gallu mewn gwyddoniaeth forol a chasglu data. Felly, mae gweithio gyda'r byd academaidd ar lefel strategol a gweithredol yn bendant yn elfen bwysig o'n gwaith ymchwil, ac mae Ysgol Gwyddorau Eigion Prifysgol Bangor wedi bod yn bartner gwerthfawr iawn i ni yn ystod y blynyddoedd diwethaf. O gymharu â'r amgylchedd ar y tir, weithiau mae'r dystiolaeth ar statws yr amgylchedd morol ac effaith gweithgareddau dynol arno'n brin, a gall tystiolaeth o'r fath fod yn gostus a heriol yn dechnegol i'w chasglu, a dyna pam rwy'n deall y gall cychod ymchwil fel y Prince Madog chwarae rôl bwysig. Credaf fod y pwynt a wnaeth Rhun ap Iorwerth am beidio â cholli ased mor werthfawr yn bwysig iawn. Felly, yn y lle cyntaf, yr hyn rwyf wedi gofyn i fy swyddogion ei wneud yw cyfarfod â Phrifysgol Bangor i weld pa broblemau y maent yn eu hwynebu, ac i weld sut y gallwn helpu. Hoffwn innau ymweld â hwy hefyd er mwyn i mi gael llun ohonof ar y llong fel Rhun. Clywais eich galwad am statws llong forol genedlaethol. Mae'n rhywbeth y mae angen inni edrych arno wrth gwrs. Unwaith eto, ynglŷn â chyllid, yn amlwg ni allaf ymrwymo, ond buaswn yn hapus iawn i gael y trafodaethau hynny gyda hwy. Yn ystod sesiwn cwestiynau llafar y Cynulliad y prynhawn yma, dywedais wrth Rhun fod Ynys Môn yn tyfu'n ganolbwynt go iawn ar gyfer ynni llanw, ac rwy'n meddwl bod y rhan honno o ogledd-orllewin Cymru yn dod yn bwysicach byth i'r rhan o fy mhortffolio sy'n ymwneud â'r môr. Felly, buaswn yn hapus iawn i wneud hynny, a rhoi'r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i Rhun a'r Aelodau eraill maes o law. Diolch.