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While endangered flapper skates will never be the poster boys of conservation, the beautiful marine environment they inhabit on the Argyll coast is capable of inspiring the most ardent of landlubbers. Brutal winters conspire with the ocean’s latent power to create an intricate network of bays and lochs along the Craignish and Ardnamurchan peninsulas. Fringed by the last remnants of the Atlantic rainforest, the coastline is heart-achingly beautiful, but look beneath the surface, and the future of this underwater Garden of Paradise is in the balance.

‘Once upon a time, Scotland’s inshore seas supported vast seagrass meadows rich in biodiversity and oyster reefs that extended over several kilometres’ says Alan Munro from Fauna and Flora International, ’but since the days of industrialisation these habitats have all but disappeared from our waters: pollution, bottom-contact fishing, coastal development and, most recently, climate change, have brought both seagrass and oysters to the brink.’
I was in Scotland with a group of FFI supporters to see first-hand, what is being done by the Coastal Community Network, to protect the west coast’s marine biodiversity. I was intrigued to see how FFI’s policy of enabling grassroots conservation efforts would manifest itself in the remote lochs and peninsulas of Argyll.

Effective conservation requires a collection of committed individuals, prepared to roll up the sleeves of their Aran jumpers in readiness for action. One such individual is Andy Jackson, custodian of the Isle of Carna, a small uninhabited island off the west coast of Scotland, home to otters, seals, white-tailed eagles and countless awe-inspiring views of the shores of Loch Sunart.

“Conservationists aren’t all tree huggers. We’re prepared to get into a scrap” says Andy, a look of seriousness on his otherwise friendly face.

Andy is just one of many devoted conservationists belonging to the Coastal Community Network. Supported by FFI, they all share a desire to protect the outstanding marine biodiversity which they live alongside and rely on for their livelihoods and general welfare.

“We fought hard to stop the dredging of kelp in this area, a few years ago”, says Andy, as we sail along Loch Sunart en route to Carna Island, a look of grit showing on a face that couldn’t look any more at home than behind the wheel of a boat. The destructive nature of kelp and scallop dredging leaves the seabed resembling nothing short of a dessert. All life is eradicated by the indiscriminate, mechanical teeth that violate the seabed and recovery from such an invasive procedure can take many years. While much of the Argyll coast is now registered as a Marine Protected Area (MPA) where such dredging is illegal, enforcement is still a moot point. David Ainsley is an underwater filmmaker and operates wildlife trips from his boat, exploring the Firth of Lorne, a Special Area of Conservation and an MPA. No stranger to using a camera, David has shared with Marine Scotland, many incriminating photographs and videos of illegal fishing in the MPAs. Sadly, illegal fishing is still conducted with impunity in these waters, despite the best efforts of people like David. Kerri Whiteside, FFI’s Marine Project Manager in Scotland is adamant that community action is still imperative:

‘Community groups are gathering evidence in a variety of ways – alerting one another to encourage accurate evidence collection, which often includes collecting dive video and photograph footage, developing local watch schemes and producing community surveillance guides.’

As we approach the Corryvreckan Whirlpool, David explains “dredging has been banned for over a decade in this area and as a result, we have seen our porpoise populations increase by 286% in this period.” With Scarba on one side and Jura on the other, the Corryvreckan Whirlpool is a tidal phenomenon created when the floodtides meet the Atlantic swell in the narrow Corryvreckan strait. The ‘whirlpool’ I experience is relatively benign – more of a simmering stockpot than a bubbling cauldron, yet the sight is still spectacular as are the many porpoises and white-tailed eagles we spot during our boat trip.

The community, with FFI’s help, have had a recent victory, in getting the use of Acoustic Deterrent Devices (ADDs) outlawed at Scotland’s salmon farms. These underwater alarms are designed to scare seals away from plundering stock at fish farms however they are recognised as also unlawfully disturbing porpoises and dolphins. David Ainsley’s comments echo the sentiments of all Coastal Community Network members:

‘We will be watching – and indeed listening – for any lawbreaking…’

Nature needs guardians like Andy and David to act as its eyes and ears, and to step up when it sees or hears wrongdoing. We can all take a leaf out of the Coastal Community Network’s book, roll up our sleeves and take decisive action the next time we feel nature needs a helping hand.

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