Sustainable leadership

It is always difficult to recognise at the time when key decisions are made, but last week signalled something of a breakthrough for the Clyde.

Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has agreed to commission an urgent review of the state of the Clyde - a marine ecosystem so degraded that scientists fear it is on the brink of collapse.

Mr Lochhead has many interests to balance, but the outcome of a recent meeting suggests he and his party are taking some firm and forward-looking steps of leadership towards a sustainable stewardship of Scottish waters.

Those waters are complex and difficult to navigate, but just days after he had successfully and historically represented UK fishing interests at a top-level EU Council talk, Mr Lochhead travelled home to uphold that most local of European principles - subsidiarity. That central government has engaged with community-based interests to inform strategic policy is a development that will hopefully lead to a more robust and direct decision-making approach for the sustainability of Scotland's seas. This cannot be another delay-by-consultation.

C.O.A.S.T. is working on many fronts. In the run up to our forthcoming Symposium: Empowering Coastal Community Stakeholders, we have become members of an organisation called Ocean 2012, which is lobbying for change in the EU’s roundly inneffectual common fisheries policy (CFP).  This is C.O.A.S.T.'s continuing contribution to an issue that must be tackled with sustainability at its heart.

This is a critical moment for the future of marine stewardship and it is in this spirit of strategic, networked, knowledge-sharing that C.O.A.S.T. is holding its Symposium later this month.

For full details of these developments, read this month's newsletter...

Lochhead agrees to lead review of the Clyde
Delegates prepare for C.O.A.S.T.'s Symposium: Empowering Coastal Community Stakeholders
German TV covers Lamlash Bay dive surveys
Bingo boosts C.O.A.S.T. funds
C.O.A.S.T. diver attends specialist marine ID course
Arran Mountain Festival
No more lip service
'Reduce fishing pressure,' urges Degnbol
Historic meeting signals toughened EU stance on mackerel dispute
SAMS looks to the future
Shetlanders ahead of the curve
The List publishes eco-fish guide
C.O.A.S.T. joins European coalition
Breaking environmental ranks - MSC draws mainstream criticism
Philanthropy secures Chagos
US 'frankenfish' debate set to run
Epifauna and their importance in regeneration of the seabed

Lochhead agrees to lead review of the Clyde

Scotland's Environment secretary has signalled a progressive approach to marine management by undertaking to lead a review of the Clyde following a recent meeting. A group of concerned Clyde stakeholders, including commercial fishermen and C.O.A.S.T., met with Richard Lochhead, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, and Marine Scotland officials at Holyrood on Thursday 23rd September.  The meeting was arranged and attended by Kenneth Gibson MSP for Cunninghame North. Read full details of the Minister's future actions here...


LOCAL NEWS

Lochhead agrees to lead review of the Clyde

Delegates prepare for C.O.A.S.T.'s Symposium: Empowering Coastal Community Stakeholders
 
The Arran Outdoor Education Centre will be the venue for C.O.A.S.T.'s Symposium later this month

C.O.A.S.T. with the University of the West of England have organised a Symposium to be held on Arran in October, pulling together those who are interested and determined to make the seas more sustainable and governments more accountable to those for whom it holds in trust this common resource. Some of the key areas for discussion are:

•    Look at the latest research on Marine Protected Areas
•    Discussion on the value of ecosystem services
•    Discussion on who owns marine resources, and how do we reach sustainability
•    Science and stakeholders
•    Getting the balance between people, state and market-focused approach. Where do people and the environment fit into marine management
•    Building networks of MPAs - next steps
•    Corporate, including multinational, power, government and the coastal community stakeholders

The Symposium is already oversubscribed with academics and government representatives with just a couple of spaces for community stakeholders at the time of writing available. Delegates will travel from all corners of the UK and further afield. Sharing ideas and experience, forming cohesive networks and looking strategically to the future will make this an interesting and challenging gathering.

German TV covers Lamlash Bay dive surveys

Arved Fuch's production team films marine biology student with a bag of scallops ready for dissection

A programme due to be broadcast to half of Europe will tell the sad story about the degraded marine environment that is the Clyde in 2010.

This summer, renowned explorer and TV personality Arved Fuchs toured a number of North Atlantic islands aboard his famous vessel, the Dagmar Aaen. Each island soon gets to feature in a series of documentaries on Channel Arte, a channel broadcasted throughout Europe including Germany, France, Austria and Switzerland. This August, director Joanna Michna and TV crew arrived on Arran to film the island’s natural beauty and to get an understanding of why C.O.A.S.T. campaigned for over ten years to get the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone (NTZ) established. Click here to read more...

Bingo boosts C.O.A.S.T. funds
Local fundraising efforts recently injected some much-needed money into COAST’s funds so that it can continue its survey and research work. A charity bingo night held at Whiting Bay Golf Club on 18th September 2010 raised a grand total of £395. The money will be used both for raising awareness amongst the wider community of the issues affecting marine biodiversity and also to purchase new equipment.

Thanks to some expert delivery of bingo lingo, the event was well attended and thoroughly enjoyed. We are deeply grateful that so many local businesses supported this event by donating items for the raffle, especially given the pressures placed on businesses at this time of recession. The strong support shown by local residents, businesses and island visitors alike helps give C.O.A.S.T. and its many members the confidence they need to continue their hard work.

C.O.A.S.T. diver attends specialist marine ID course
C.O.A.S.T. and Seasearch diver Claire Youdale describes her experiences when attending a specialist course which, among other things, will help her to identify those creatures from the perhaps less glamorous, but amazingly varied world of hydroids and bryzoans. Click here to read more....

Arran Mountain Festival

Sibbie Sangster and Lucy Wallace take folks on a stimulating scramble

Mountaineers were given the chance to both see and hear views of the Clyde from the peak of Mullach Mor on Holy Isle last month, as C.O.A.S.T. teamed up with the Arran Mountain Festival. Click here to read more...


NATIONAL NEWS

No more lip service
 
C.O.A.S.T. chairman Howard Wood explains why Scottish politics must harness the strength of local communities...

There was much talk in the run-up to the 2007 Holyood elections of implementing a more radical 'internal' devolution in Scotland. John Swinney described the ‘renaissance of local control’ as a central theme of the SNP’s manifesto ‘to give local communities more say over the issues that affect them and to ensure that there is less direction from the centre.’ The SNP's aim to decentralise and curb the burgeoning quango state is a policy which has since been effectively echoed south of the border by the Tories' buzz-phrase of Big Society.

We have wondered what exactly it will mean for the small stakeholders who work independent of large government financial support. In theory it is a grand idea, but it is of course politically motivated. Community organisations cannot underake this renaissance of local control UNLESS they have valid channels of communication with those who make the decisions for the country as a whole. Similarly the power bases of politics and their cohorts need to become much more accountable to communities than they are at present. We shall see what it means in practice over the next five years. In the worst case it might simply mean outsourcing existing government supplied services to local voluntary organisations.

Without changes in the law - which after all are made by consent within the political parties in power - the Big Society cannot be separated from the politicians. We continue to need that legal framework and the regulations that stem from it in a civil society. It is imperative however that politicians take more responsibility and LISTEN to communities, not just run a few focus groups or public consultations and then do what they want. As C.O.A.S.T. was told recently, which came as a surprise to us, the Scottish government does not have to take any notice of the wishes of the people when they conduct a consultation: at least that was the view of one senior individual. Click here to read the full article

'Reduce fishing pressure,' urges Degnbol
 
Paul Degnbol's message was unambiguous

Dr Sally Campbell of C.O.A.S.T. provides an insightful summary of the Scottish Association Marine Science UHI Annual Lecture at Dunstaffnage. In his keynote speech, the head of ICES' advisory programme, Paul Degnbol is unequivocal about the way forward for sustainable seas... Click here to read in full

Historic meeting signals toughened EU stance on mackerel dispute
 
Mackerel - in the international spotlight

In the first EU fisheries talks where a Holyrood minister has represented UK interests, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead has welcomed the EC's condemnation of Iceland and the Faroes following their increased mackerel fishing effort. Iceland's agriculture and fisheries minister has rebuffed the EC's position by claiming that they were not subject to any international quota agreement and that the unilateral action was 'completely justified.' Negotiations are set to continue this month.

SAMS looks to the future

Director of SAMS Prof Laurence Mee has delivered a timely, cautionary, but essentially upbeat message to all concerned with Scotland's marine stewardship. Noting that pressing environmental challenges are being faced in the context of 'one of the worst economic recessions in history,' he argues that solutions must be 'smart,' 'innovative' and 'cost effective,' and that SAMS has restructured to 'become a more proactive participant in the quest for sustainable use and conservation of the sea.' We wish him luck with that mission. In the meantime, have a look at SAMS excellent Sustainable Seas blog.

Shetlanders ahead of the curve
The Shetland Shellfish Management Organisation (SSMO) is busy implementing a voluntary marine spatial management plan that will close sea areas to scallop dredge fishing that are believed to contain certain habitats defined as important in the EU Habitats Directive.  the initiative was agreed upon unanimously by the board of the SSMO and is the only one of its kind in Scotland. Click here to read more from the North Atlantic Fisheries College and coverage by the Shetland Times.

The List publishes eco-fish guide

Scotland's lifestyle and listings magazine has published what it thinks is an eco-friendly guide to eating fish. Good news for clueing-up fish hungry consumers you might think, but sadly the guide seems to equate modern dredging with 'environmental friendliness' and demonstrates an uncritical acceptance of the MSC's Blue Label certification scheme. For a more considered approach to responsible fish-eating on the restaurant scene, see www.sustainablesushi.net (more on this in coming issues of the newsletter...).


OVERSEAS NEWS

C.O.A.S.T. joins European coalition


C.O.A.S.T. have become members of an organisation called Ocean 2012, which is lobbying for change in the EU’s common fisheries policy (CFP).  The CFP is undergoing root and branch reform after the European Commission admitted in its green paper that the CFP was not working.

Ocean 2012 is made up of community groups, environmental campaign groups and sustainable commercial fishermen from all over the EU, seeking to reform the Common Fisheries Policy across EU and to make it less of an embarrassment. C.O.A.S.T. agrees with the key principles of Ocean 2012 which are as follows:

-   Environmental sustainability is the over-arching principle without which economic and social sustainability is unobtainable
-    Decisions are taken at the most appropriate levels and in a transparent way, ensuring effective participation of stakeholders
-    Sustainable fishing capacity at EU and regional level
-    Access to fisheries resources is conditional on environmental and social criteria
-    Public funds are only used in a way that serves the public good and alleviates social impacts in the transition to sustainable fisheries.

So why should C.O.A.S.T. be involved?
One of the main issues which we have come across time and time again is that the policy makers in the centre do not really know what is happening on the ground.  So C.O.A.S.T.’s experience, while admittedly only affecting a small area, means that we have detailed access to actual events on the ground, which affect real communities and real fishermen.  Click here to read more

Breaking environmental ranks - MSC draws mainstream criticism
A number of articles have surfaced in recent weeks picking up on criticism of the Marine Stewardship Council's accreditation process by top scientists in the journal Nature, Seafood Stewardship in Crisis. A biologist involved in the recent MSC certification of the Fraser River Sockeye salmon in Canada has even tendered his resignation in protest. It signals the first time that problems with the well-meaning eco-certification body have been vocalised by concerned insiders, prompting a debate which is likely to run for a while...

Philanthropy secures Chagos
The plan to establish the Chagos Islands as the world's largest marine reserve was given a helping hand by Swiss billionaire Ernesto Bertarelli. Whilst the controversial Chagossian repatriation debate continues on home soil, the £3.5m donation will ensure the enforcement and management of the reserve by the Blue Marine Foundation - a good news story for marine conservation at least.

US 'frankenfish' debate set to run
The US's Food and Drug Administration has recently heard evidence from AquaBounty Technologies regarding its submission for the approval of a genetically modified salmon 'product.' The hearing concluded there was insufficient evidence to recommend the fish on safety grounds. The bureaucracy has therefore not rubber-stamped the proposals, although commentators believe it will receive approval eventually, despite sideline skirmishes over labelling. For a good run through of the more fundamental environmental issues see the Time ecocentric blog Why the debate over GM salmon misses the point

SCIENCE

Epifauna and their importance in regeneration of the seabed
If you have ever wondered about the science of the seabed, read on. Dr Sally Campbell's article will help you to better understand the complex ecosystems that sustain the sea from below the waves and will explain why fishing methods (such as dredging and bottom trawling) threaten the very viability of the marine environment as we know it. Click here to read the article...


A FEW FISHY FACTS FOLKS SHOULD KNOW

- mackerel replaced Nephrops (prawns) as the most valuable stock to the Scottish fishing fleet in 2009
- the dominant colonies of epifauna found on the ocean floor - threatened by dredging activity - can be centuries old
- 378,000 tonnes of fish was landed by the Scottish fleet in 2009, a 2% increase on the year before
- there were 2,174 active fishing vessels in Scotland in 2009, the smallest fleet size ever recorded

FISH OF THE MONTH

This month's fish of the month is not a fish, but a horny coral found around Scotland's Western Isles. White and sometimes pinkish in colour, the Northern Sea Fan is currently on the UK Biodiversity Action Plan list. Because it favours rockier parts of the seabed, it has been less easily recorded than other corals and forms part of a still only partially-understood and fragile marine ecosystem.

 

Latin name: Swiftia Pallidia
Normal size: 7cm-20cm tall
Diet: the northern sea fan is a filter feeder which traps passing plankton as it drifts by
Habitat: Found on rocks and boulders from depths of 15-60m, most frequently below 20m. It is also found on coarse pebbles lying in coarse shell sand with silt.

VIDEOS
And here's a few videos of topical interest for those with time on their hands...!

The MSC have produced a brassy new promotional video extolling the virtues of the Blue Label, without discussing any of the increasingly controvsersial complexities of MSC accreditation. For any regular readers, you will know what C.O.A.S.T.'s views are on this...

And here is a beautiful and informative documentary film about the sad demise of the fulmar. With stunning videography and a genuinely investigative edge, Raymond Beasant's The Flying Dustbin is well worth a watch.


THANKS
If you have enjoyed reading this newsletter and feel supportive of C.O.A.S.T.’s work, please get in touch. Like all community organisations, we are run by a small group of dedicated volunteers. If you would like to offer any financial support, you can donate via the website. Alternatively feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Thank you for reading COAST’s 7th newsletter. We hope you are looking forward to the next month’s edition already.

Coming in the next newsletter:
- A detailed report from C.O.A.S.T.'s forthcoming Symposium
- Another month another TV appearance! C.O.A.S.T. features in  the BBC Scottish Landscapes programme presented by Dr Iain Stewart of the University of Plymouth