Dr Rupert Ormond director of the Marine Research Station at Millport and Dr Jason Hall Spencer, expert on maerl seaweed in the Firth of Clyde, were the guest speakers at the Community of Arran Seabed Trust’s first AGM last week at the Ormidale Sports Pavilion. To a packed audience of 70 people they both gave very informative and thought provoking talks, backed with slides, about their research on the seabed in the Firth of Clyde and around Arran.
Jason began by explaining that while doing his PHD on maerl seaweed, at the Marine Research Station at Millport, he did a comparison of the seabed in Loch Fyne, which had not been previously exploited by towed demersal fishing gear because of rocky outcrops, it's proximity to shore, and the presence of a charted telecommunications cable, with the seabed around the Isle of Cumbrae and the north end of Arran. He talked about his findings on the comparative amounts of marine life and maerl on the seabed, which conclusively proved that trawl dredging, had drastically affected the volume and diversity of marine life.
Jason then described the unique geological glacial formation of the Firth of Clyde, it being the most southerly fiord in the northern hemisphere. Today the seabed consists principally of gravel and mud, and it is the prawns that live in the mud which attract the fishing boats.
He informed us that clam dredging, developed in the Clyde during the 1940’s, has become more sophisticated over the years, resulting in virtually every part of the seabed being trawled and consequently destroying many of the maerl beds. Jason pointed out the importance of maerl as a nursery for marine life, providing protection and habitat. Maerl is slow growing calcified seaweed and has existed around Holy Island for 6000 years, almost since the formation of the Firth of Clyde. From voluntary installation of satellite tracking boxes on fishing vessels in the Firth of Clyde, it was found that some areas had been trawled over a hundred times in a year. Where once hundreds of boats fished, now only two boats fish for white fish.
In the second lecture Dr Ormond talked more widely about sea life preservation and the coastline in general. On coastal erosion, he explained that the present policy is to retreat rather than fight - to work with nature as much as possible and to discourage planning policies that allow building close to eroding cliffs and shores. A surprising fact was that in Britain as a whole more land is being formed than lost, but the sea is expected to rise in the future with global warming.
Introducing the various organizations and agencies that develop policies and laws for coasts, seabed and protected areas, Dr Ormond stressed the importance of coordination between the organizations in fisheries management, pollution control and environmental groups.
As a renowned marine biologist Dr Ormond has advised on the establishment of Marine Reserves in Africa and the Red Sea in Egypt. When asked by these countries about Marine Reserves in Scotland, he has to admit that there are none. He pointed out the fact that despite having the expertise and having carried out so much research in this country, compared to other countries in the world we have few protected areas. However, with the recent acquisition of a £2 million state of the art research boat, it is hoped that the marine environment in Scotland will be more effectively monitored.
This talk brought to our awareness the extent of the seabed damage that has been done and is still being perpetuated in waters around our shores, and the need to encourage new growth and protection of marine diversity and habitat for future generations.
The winner of the COAST quiz was Barbara Young. As there were 7 contestants with 4 correct answers the winning name was drawn out of a hat.
1. What depth in meters is Lamlash Bay at its deepest?
a.18 b.38 c.58 d.88------- Answer b
2. How many years does it take for a lobster living in the waters around Arran to reach maturity for harvesting?
a.1 b 3 c.7 d.11------- Answer c
3. How many years does it take for a maerl bed to regenerate and recover after a scallop dredge has trawled over it?
a.1 b.10 c.50 d.never------- Answer d
4. How many years does it take for a king scallop living in the waters around Arran to reach 100 ml in size?
a.1 b.3 c.7 d.11------- Answer c
5. What weight in pounds of fish were caught with rod and line at the 2 days Arran Sea Angling Association Festival in 1967?
a. 600 b.1600 c.6000 d.16000------- Answer d
6. What is the total area in kilometers around the Scottish coastline?
a.1000 b.3000 c.7000 d.10000------- Answer d