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Arran was once renowned for its fishing, with hundreds of sea anglers flocking to the island for the annual fish festival. That was decades ago when cod, haddock, hake, dab, plaice and turbot were plentiful in the waters of the Firth of Clyde. Today the Clyde fishing fleet is a fraction of its original size, and the white fish have gone, leaving only prawns, langoustines and a dwindling stock of scallops. Concerned about the damage caused by trawling, community campaigners formed The Community of Arran Seabed Trust. They spent 15 years lobbying for a No Take Zone; a designated area of sea and seabed from which no marine life can be removed.
Approved in 2008, Scotland’s first ‘No Take Zone’ is a small area - just over one square mile – in Lamlash Bay. Under the proposals, the result of a unique collaborative effort between the commercial fishermen and the islanders, 267 hectares of the bay will now be designated as an area where fishing is banned, with a further 660 hectares set aside as a fisheries management area, subject to scientific regulation.
The Arran initiative will be watched closely by ministers at Holyrood and Westminster, with marine bills being considered on both sides of the border. It really is a drop in the ocean, but a significant achievement nevertheless. The seabed here is now a haven for nature to start recovery.