On the 19th of April COAST met with Jason Coomes the project officer for the Clyde Fisheries Development Project. At the meeting was David Donnan Senior Fisheries Advisor for Scottish Natural Heritage. Jason told us what the project hoped to achieve & listened to COAST’s concerns over the slow progress towards sustainable fishing in the Clyde area. COAST offered Jason their support in his new job. We wish him luck -he will certainly need it!
C.O.A.S.T. meet the Minister
Over the last 18 months COAST have been trying to get a meeting with Ross Finnie Minister for the Environment & Rural Affairs. On May 17th we met with him in Edinburgh. He was accompanied by Ricky Verrall from Environment & Eamon Murphy from Fisheries. Don Macneish gave a 10 minute introduction, which outlined:- our proposals, the history of why Islanders felt this was the only way forward , how after the 1984 inshore fisheries legislation, which allowed trawlers & dredgers to fish right up to the shore, the Clyde Fishery collapsed. First to go were the many Sea Angling Festivals, held both on Arran & the Ayrshire coast. Now we have the situation where only prawns & scallops are being commercially fished in the Clyde.
In the hour’s meeting, COAST tried to get across as many points as possible but the main one was - “Why can’t an Island community have any say in the water that surrounds it?” We asked the Minister to implement this Trial M.P.A. & No Take Zone as soon as possible.
He responded, that he was well known for taking his time over important decisions & that he would get back to us with his decision in the near future. We look forward to this.
