A recent government report which reviews the scientific knowledge of the West coast fishery, has lent weight to proposals for an MPA around the southern coast of Arran.

“The West of Scotland Marine Ecosystem: A Review of Scientific Knowledge 2011” carries out a comprehensive review of the West coast. Amongst a range of findings, it describes the importance of the inshore habitat for cod and whiting stocks in the area, by gathering a wide range of data from analogous fisheries in Europe.

One study conducted in the Swedish Skagerrak archipelago calculated that the loss of 190 m2 of eelgrass habitat may have resulted in the loss of 6.3 million juvenile cod recruits each year.

The report states that “in Scotland, areas such as maerl and eelgrass beds appear to be important as nursery areas for cod, but such habitats are easily damaged by human activities such as trawling.”

The report, however, frequently acknowledges limitations of its findings due to a shortage of available data, “Although damage is known to have occurred around Scotland, we currently lack good data on the extent of habitat loss, and its consequences for cod populations.”

The conclusions of  the report have boosted the rationale for habitat protection measures in the Clyde. COAST is proposing an angler and static gear-friendly MPA (Marine Protected Area) around its southern shores to protect vital habitat and historic spawning grounds from the damaging effects of dredging and trawling.

“Much of the content of this report is to be welcomed, but we cannot afford to wait for another round of scientific surveys before we take action to halt the damage currently inflicted on vital nursery habitats," said COAST chair Howard Wood. "The precautionary principle should dictate that bottom trawling and dredging should be precluded from large areas of our inshore waters or at the very minimum be subject to an environmental impact assessment. The common-sense principle says our seabed is knackered. And the good fishermen on the West coast know it’s in their children’s best interests to give it a rest."