COAST scheme to create MPA sparks interest

People were keenly interested by the COAST road shows and their plans to propose a Marine Protected Area (MPA) round the south coast of Arran, and many of them were happy to stick Post-It notes on the map showing the proposed area that would include the existing No-Take Zone (NTZ) in Lamlash Bay. The proposed MPA would be a three mile limit around the south of Arran (from Corriegills Point to Drumadoon Point) which would prevent scallop dredging and bottom trawling for prawns but, unlike an NTZ, would permit creeling, scallop diving and sea angling. The Lamlash Bay NTZ, would keep its current status.

In addition, Ross Greig of York University (pictured) would like to find out how much sea angling used to happen on Arran before the fish began to disappear from the sea. If you have any knowledge or family memories of this, he’d be very grateful if you could fill in the following questions and e-mail them to him. The title of his survey, ‘I once caught a fish…’ is suitably nostalgic, and brings into sharp focus what we have lost.

“I once caught a fish….”

A series of short questions to assess angling in Arran and attitudes towards conservation. Please print the survey form and when you have completed it, hand it in to the COAST office at The Old Haybarn in Lamlash.

Please click here to print the survey form.