Who We Are

The Blue Hope Alliance model was created as a cross sector alliance of stakeholders, community groups, individuals and divers interested in the recovery and restoration of the sea.

The alliance emerged organically out of the campaign to protect Wester Ross Marine Protected Area and began with surveys organised by the Scottish Creel Fishermen’s Federation, SubSeaTV and Sea Change Wester Ross to gather evidence to protect the ecosystems recovery. We were joined shortly after by the fishery boards and Seasearch divers, marine scientists and others who have helped champion our 'network for nature’, as the Marine Biological Society have dubbed it.

Our aims are multi-fold. By building a cross-sector alliance, in a low population area such as the northwest Highlands, we can more efficiently pool limited resources, time and energy – as well as share different perspectives and knowledge to provide a much more holistic understanding of the sea. Previously groups in the northwest tended to work separately, but in recognition that everything is connected in the sea, it soon became clear that working more like an ecosystem ourselves benefited everyone – that is what the Blue Hope Alliance set out to do.

Fishermen, anglers, scientists, seafood suppliers, sailors, kayakers, divers, families, youngsters, swimmers, snorkellers, artists and storytellers have a lot of knowledge and complimentary talents to share. Some have boats, others can dive, others know of species locations, or have scientific knowledge and methods, whilst others have social media prowess or visual and storytelling capacity. Some can just provide great teas. All are welcome to contribute in ways they can.

The scientific knowledge discovered on our surveys is vital. It can help flag up issues and put pressure on Government agencies as well as on politicians to act. It can be used as evidence in court and can flag up where human impact is causing harm in order to stop it. Thus, allowing nature to heal itself. When Nature is left alone it heals fast.

Interconnectivity with marine scientists and universities can support more ambitious and rigorous surveying and help analyse and share our discoveries. These relationships can ensure our survey work is scientifically rigourous.

Our archive of survey footage can be used to produce films, vlogs, and photo stories. This makes visible the underwater world - and our eyes underwater in the northwest encourages wider awareness and builds custodianship. The surveys can bring to life the underwater world and its ‘characters’ and encourage more wonder and respect for our underwater world.

Interconnectivity between businesses, individuals, and groups, (that only a cross-sector /ecosystem focused alliance can achieve) can create the sense of collective endeavour and synergy in which groups with very different remits around specific species or habitats, can join together with a shared purpose.

Everything we do is underpinned by building relationships across sectors. Groups that might otherwise see each other as having separate remits, or even being in competition can come together. This can take time, but an ecosystem approach underpins the success of all restoration work. And groups working together can help build much greater community support for protection and restoration. 

The Blue Hope Alliance does not replace groups - all of which have vitally important specific remits and vitally needed depth of expertise and experience. It simply joins groups and coordinate efforts where the knowledge is needed, the task is huge, and the resources limited. The network is a place to exchange ideas and share resources - a kind of synergy between parts. We have much more work to do to build a self-sustaining survey project for the future, yet we have strong foundations.  

The idea is an indigenous one - ancient people observed the intelligence in nature and how insect colonies worked selflessly for the greater good of the whole with a group or ‘field’ mind. For nature is a network of relationships or a web of life. The individuals’ actions were not intended to serve the individual, but to serve the whole. That may be poetic, but it is what underpinned the impulse to set up the Sea Change Wester Ross thinktank and the Blue Hope Alliance when working to protect the sea from all that threatened it. Starlings flock in unison because of Peregrines…. fish create shoals to stay safe. Threats can generate something wonderful.  

An example of how hopeful relationships can emerge out of threats is our relationship with Professor Jason Hall Spencer and Plymouth University around the restoration of maerl. A keystone species of vital importance as the jewel in the crown of Scotland’s species and yet little known to the public. This network of relationships includes other very committed marine scientists who have helped us survey for years, such as Dr Graham Saunders, Lewis Press, Owen Paisley, Frank Melvin, and Dr Rohan Holt. Together they have helped us create more robust survey protocols.  

Wester Ross is perhaps the most fragile of the MPAs – given it has the lion’s share of maerl in Europe and is the largest “maerl” MPA in the world. Yet there is masses of maerl outside of these protected areas as well as south and north of the MPA, all within our area of interest. Our members have produced surveys, articles, science reports and films.  

Our aim to build a self sustaining project means we rely upon encouraging local businesses, charities, marine groups and volunteers to support, or even sponsor our surveys and events - to achieve greater protection and restoration of the habitats and species. Please get in touch if you’d like to help us. All are welcome.