New proposal by COAST – please help!
The Community of Arran Seabed Trust, known to us all as COAST, is proposing a marine protected area (MPA) around the south of Arran, as shown in the map below. It is not aiming to be a No Take Zone like Lamlash Bay, so sea anglers and hand creelers will be welcome to use it.
The COAST team drafted their proposal over the winter months, with help from islanders and supporters elsewhere, and it was delivered to Scottish Natural Heritage on 9th May. The proposal is now being considered for inclusion in Scotland’s MPA network, which is currently being developed by the Scottish Government. A decision will be made by the end of this year. COAST hopes very much that their proposal will be accepted, since it will help to protect rare marine features such as maerl beds and forests of seagrass. It has the potential to form a significant part of the recovery of the Clyde from its present bereft and over-fished state.
Howard Wood, COAST’s chairman and co-founder, describes the proposal as ‘An investment for the future of Arran and our Clyde waters.’ If the fish spawning and nursery grounds round Arran’s southern and western coast can be protected and nurtured, it will do much to restore the Clyde to what Howard calls a ‘productive and sustainably managed fishery.’ In the not-too-distant future, it will not only increase ecological tourism but will actually serve to increase the marine stocks needed by the Scottish commercial fishing fleet. Everybody stands to gain, including the currently threatened creatures that live in our seas.
Please help! There may be protracted negotiations before the MPA can be considered as part of the Scottish plan, and the proposal needs all the support Arran can give it. If you are in agreement with the aim of a Marine Protected Area, or if you have any comments or suggestions, COAST wants to hear from you.
Write to COAST at the Old Hay Barn, Park Terrace, Lamlash, Isle of Arran, KA27 8NB, or e-mail andrew@arrancoast.com. If there are any queries, call 01770 600656. You can read the whole proposal on their excellent online newsletter.
Katie Thomson, an undergraduate marine biology student from Glasgow University, is gaining practical knowledge with COAST at the moment. Katie has been working with children at Shiskine Primary school – see the picture below, courtesy of the COAST website. She is off to Bolivia for the summer weeks to extend her studies, but happily, she will be back on Arran for her Masters year when the school term resumes.
