Page 58 - BBC Wildlife Volume 36 #06

LAMLASH BAY

BOOM AND BUST: THE CLYDEFISHERIES Fishermen would set sail in
skiffs and find herring by
following whales and gannets.
In the 1800s, herring fisheries
around the Isle of Arran were
booming, so much so that in 1889
large-bottom trawling boats were
banned from the Clyde in an attempt
to stop overfishing. Nevertheless,
the tonnage of herring landed in
the Clyde still crashed, from up to
40,000 tonnes in the late 1940s to
an average of just 2,400 tonnes in
1978–84. New dredging techniques
allowed a switch to scallop and
prawn fishing, providing some
alternative employment. But by
the mid-1980s the situation was
pretty desperate. In 2010, worried
scientists analysing the area’s
historic fishing records declared that
the Clyde ecosystem was about to
become a marine desert.

Bryce Stewart of the University of York remembers + FIND OUT MORE “What they’ve done is extraordinary.” Today, the legacy of
meeting Howard a few years before the NTZ was COAST continues to grow. After much lobbying, in 2016 a
O Discover more
officially put into effect. “I just thought, wow… how on Marine Protected Area (MPA) was implemented around the
about Lamlash
Earth are you going to pull this off?” he laughs. But once Bay and The whole southern coast of Arran. An MPA doesn’t have the
his scepticism had been proven unfounded, Bryce and Community same protections as a NTZ, but covers a far larger area, with
a team from the university set to work documenting the of Arran certain types of fishing banned in different zones.
Seabed Trust
changes that were already underway. This summer a new education centre will be opened
(COAST): www.
arrancoast.com on Arran, teaching the next generation about the value of
THE SEABED BOUNCES BACK O Lamlash Bay their seas. The island’s tourist industry is finding ways to
Using methods such as dive surveys, baited fish cameras features on take advantage too, with kayak and snorkel tours starting to
and photographic sampl f. Meanwhile, the University of York team has just

collected huge amounts funding confirmed for a full survey of the NTZ, and
few years into the projec itching to return and catch up with the man he
were extraordinary. “Th “inspiration”, who has “changed the face of marine
evidence appears to be p tion both in Scotland and across the UK”.
the same direction,” the
states. “The Lamlash Ba THE FIGHT
appears to be promotin rran, Howard and Don still meet to discuss
scallops, lobster, fish an d how best to protect the seas they love. The last
The results showed th aught up they were reflecting on what had gone
mage: Lawrence McBr de/COAST; fisherman: Scot and:The B g P cture/NPL Even the seafloor was re ted diving here. But the NTZ shows that if you
wondering how they could keep going. Dom
around 50 per cent mor
oward that 20 years ago there were just two of
within the NTZ than ou
ow there are dozens, all fighting for the same
lobsters were significant
pite the plaudits, however, you get the sense that
ould probably rather be in the water.
with seaweed, maerl (a t
ar I saw my first cuckoo ray at Arran for 30
red algae that grows in c
ward tells me. “Juvenile cod were here in record
sponges and hydrozoids
relatives of coral) all twic
I know that it’ll never be the same as when I
abundant. Overall, biodi
in the NTZ was half as
e nature a chance, it really can bounce back.”
abundant again compare
s somewhere on Arran, the ghost of Robert
ce is watching from his cave, nodding
the surrounding areas. T
started to take notice.
“It’s no exaggeration to s
HRIS HOWARD is series producer of the
Howard and COAST have
Arch ve marine science communit a ement. “If at first you don’t succeed…”
tches’ on BBC Two. His Twitter profile
been felt across the world,”
ys simply: “I’d rather be outside.”
58 BBC Wildlife June 2018