It is COAST's view that Scotland's marine environment is at a genuine crossroads. Either we choose to act now collectively or we face a continued race to the bottom of the food chain and squander one of Scotland's greatest natural assets and a 'renewable' public resource.

Read COAST’s commissioned article  'Time to Rock the Boat' which explains the regulatory, political and ecological context of the current drive to establish Marine Protected Areas in Scotland with comments from a variety of pro and sceptical marine stakeholders.

Another year, another initiative announced. Fisheries secretary Richard Lochhead has committed three-quarters of a million pounds to "revise the management approach of inshore fisheries" which he concedes have "often stood in the shadows of other fisheries sectors."

COAST digs beneath the headlines and explains what this might really mean...

A Scottish government consultation on aquaculture and fisheries provides a key opportunity to contribute to the future management of the marine environment. Submissions must be made by Friday 2nd March.

COAST will submit its response to the consultation document, but we encourage any other interested individuals or organisations

Don Staniford, fish farm campaigner with the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture, is currently facing a 20 day legal trial against Norwegian-owned aquaculture company Mainstream Canada.

The fish farm company alleges that Staniford's campaign uses "defamatory and false statements" and has taken particular umbrage

Planned Cuts to Marine Scotland and Scottish Natural Heritage have fuelled fears that marine conservation priorities and future development of the marine resource will be adversely affected. In a recent Spending Review the Scottish Government has outlined significant year-on-year cuts to SNH and Marine Scotland, at a time when pressure on the marine environment is set to increase.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust has spoken up in concerned opposition to the

Last summer COAST hosted three MSc students, Ross Greig, Tim Cross and Rachel Bower from York University. Ross carried out a baseline study of crustaceans with Charlie Weir, Arran’s only remaining traditional creeler as part one of a two year York University study and Rachel surveyed attitudes to - and awareness of - the No Take Zone in Lamlash Bay.  Tim, working as Leigh Howarth’s buddy on dives, carried out image analysis of seabed quadrants within and outwith the zone.

COAST’s AGM will be held on the 21st March at 7pm in the Ormidale Pavilion, Brodick. Everybody is welcome. The evening will cover some necessary formalities, but there will also be a presentation on the proposed Marine Protected Area and it will be an opportunity for COAST supporters to get an update on what's developed in the past year, as well as looking ahead a bit more strategically. There are

Following a recent increase in vessel activity within Lamlash Bay, COAST met with senior officials from Marine Scotland Compliance to discuss compliance measures within the NTZ.

COAST will participate in the Arran Mountain Festival, an exciting four day event (18th-21st May 2012) which offers a huge variety of guided walks and scrambles on Arran’s stunning hills and mountains.

One walk gives you the opportunity to get magnificent views across Arran from the highest point of Holy Isle, and provides a great chance for you to learn about Arran's pioneering

It's not been a good period for the reputation of the Scottish fishing industry. A number of high profile court cases have exposed serious examples of 'overfishing' by a large proportion of the Scottish pelagic fleet. Seventeen skippers have been found guilty of catching more than their quotas permitted after a £47.5m scam was unravelled by Operation Sea Dog. Inspectors from the

The Fair Isle Marine Environment and Tourism Initiative has put forward a proposal for a Demonstration and Research Marine Protected Area within the Scottish MPA network as outlined in the Scottish Marine Bill (2010). The proposed MPA is intended to serve three purposes:

1,144,000: the number of salmon eggs imported to Canada from Scotland in 1986 to support the growing aquaculture industry despite stated concerns about the biosecurity impacts.
300,000: the number of fully grown farmed salmon which escaped into the wild after salmon pens drifted from their moorings in Shetland.
3: number of fish farms planned for the Eastern Shore area of Nova Scotia as part of the Scottish aquaculture company Loch Duart Ltd's plans to expand into Nova Scotia.

20%: the percentage of planned cuts to Scottish Natural Heritage's budget over the next few years.

1,900: the number of individual plastic micro-fibres produced by washing a single garment in a household washing machine. A new report suggests that domestic sewage may play a large role in the harmful bio-accumulation of microplastics in our marine environment.

This week's featured marine species is Semibalanus balanoides, one of the most common species on our shores. Barnacles are incredibly important creatures from an ecological perspective and are one of the true stalwarts of the coastal zone. Their abundance and distribution can help highlight long-term climatic conditions, oceanic food supply and local wave patterns. There are over 1,000 species of barnacle world-wide, but fortunately for the amateur rock-pooler