COAST urges Arran Marine Protected Area supporters to complete MPA response forms.

To respond to the South Arran MPA consultation click here.

It’s now less than two weeks till the end of the public consultation on the South Arran MPA, a crucial stage in the campaign for an Arran MPA. The Voice asked COAST’s Manager Andrew Binnie why it’s so important everyone’s opinions are counted. This is what he had to say.

‘COAST is well known nationally and internationally as a grassroots (in this case seagrass-roots) community group that fought hard to create a No Take Zone in Arran waters and in doing so started to change the way the Scottish Government thinks about marine management (a real testament to the people of Arran). The Governement is now beginning to realise our seas must be managed for everyone’s benefit. They have to be productive and healthy and they can’t be managed solely for the benefit of scallop dredgers and prawn trawlers. Many people here remember the fishing festivals which once flourished on Arran. The South Arran MPA, if designated with robust management measures, will help to recover the sorely abused seabed and fish nursery grounds around the south of the island. With time we could see a return of adult whitefish stocks and, who knows, perhaps more dolphins and whales.’

‘Robust management measures mean excluding dredgers and bottom trawlers from the proposed MPA entirely. This would not stop more sustainable fishing practices such as creeling, scallop diving and sea angling. We should not accept Scottish Natural Heritage’s current management recommendations to only exclude trawlers and dredgers from more fragile areas within the MPA. Surely the point of an MPA is to allow the whole area to recover? It’s not just about conserving a few relic species or habitats within the boundary line. ‘Relic’ management is not an option for COAST, we want to see the MPA underpin a flourishing marine ecosystem supporting sustainable fisheries and abundant bird life. Management of the MPA should also be linked to a properly regulated Clyde fishery. This is why we need everyone to show their support not just for the MPA but also for the total exclusion of trawlers and dredgers from the area. The more pressure we can bring on the government by showing a high level of local and national support, the more likely we will be to get the South Arran MPA designated. England and Wales have already shown how easily Governments backslide on this issue. Let’s not allow this to happen in here. Arran and Scotland have an opportunity to lead the way and we need to take the opportunity while it’s there.’

To respond to the South Arran MPA consultation click here.

To watch Howard and Lesley Wood’s mesmerising sunfish video visit the COAST website: www.arrancoast.com.