2018/11/07 Illegal Scallop Dredgers inside Gairloch Protected Area
Tragically scallop dredgers often target maerl beds. Maerl, the fragile pink twiggy coral like seaweed is the habitat young scallops are most attracted to live in during their nursery stage. Maerl is a coral-like seaweed habitat which is Scotland’s closest equivalent of the Great Barrier Reef - both in its fragility and the diversity of life and fisheries which it supports. Yet hardly anyone knows about it.
Early in 2018 herring spawn had been found in an area (kilometres wide) by scallop divers working for Ali Hughson (one of the Blue Hope Alliances founders). The spawning was happening both within and outside the Gairloch protected area – south of the Wester Ross MPA. The excitement in those who understood the significance of herring as a keystone species to Scotland was tangible. Peter Cunnigham of Wester Ross Fisheries Trust who was passionate about herring had offered a bottle of whisky to the person who could find it…such was the hope. The scallop divers to their surprise did find it - and videoed it with the help of WRFT – film of its discovery is here.
Later in 2018 a member of the Gairloch community photographed an illegal dredger inside the Gairloch Protected Area. Shock waves rippled through those in the community who understood the preciousness of the maerl habitat and of course the hoped for return of the herring - which tends to spawn on maerl.
Herring and maerl are two keystone species which underpin the food web on the west coast and beyond. It would be impossible to overstate the importance of these species to the whole system. The maerl habitat does not just support the broodstock of the keystone fin-fish species herring - it also supports the broodstock of hundreds of other species from the very smallest to the largest, 200 species at least. This is why members of the Blue Hope Alliance have been surveying and protecting these precious habitats within the Wester Ross area and beyond since they began working together to ban scallop dredgers from the Wester Ross Marine Protected Area. Our ancestors knew the importance of the seabed. Wester Ross has been protected from sea bed impacting fishing gear since 1884 and the 3 mile limit had protected it - when that protection was lifted a small patch of Gairloch was kept protected for the herring spawning.
Naturally George Brown, a diver who had been diving the Wester Ross Area since the 1970’s was inspired to record the evidence. Many in the community in Wester Ross were keen to support him gather the evidence. The news of the damage by dredge to the maerl grounds where herring spawned - and the evidence George Brown collected with the support of people in Gairloch (with the dive funded by Open Seas) became one of the sparks for a meeting between communities, fishermen, and marine NGOs in Oban. This led to the setting up of a coalition called OurSeas which combined community groups, low impact fishermen and NGOs together.
These videos are shared on the BHA website to generate awareness - given the preciousness of this habitat to both the local community and the nation. With thanks to SCFF, WRFT, George Brown and Open Seas.
For more visit our archive.
Video by George Brown
Video by George Brown
Video by George Brown
Video by George Brown