Friends of the Sound of Jura
Cover image © Friends of the Sound of Jura
Friends of the Sound of Jura is a community group and registered Scottish charity based in Knapdale, mid-Argyll, an area bounded on three sides by the sea. It seeks to protect the Sound, the River Add and their local users from threats to the area’s wildlife and local economy.
Friends of the Sound of Jura coalesced to object to a fish farm proposal being suddenly imposed in an inappropriate place where it would harm marine life and the community. We soon realised how rare it is for the opinions of coastal people to be heard or given due weight in the planning process. As a result, the group now intends to inform and help their local community to express its opinions and to campaign more widely for marine conservation and the sustainable use of the sea we all share.
Our community depends on the health of the sea that surrounds us. We believe that fish farming can and should be done without polluting the sea or affecting other marine life, so we are engaging with policy and decision makers to achieve this.
In 2019, Friends of the Sound of Jura came together with other Argyll communities to sucessfully achieve the first Mission Blue Hope Spot in Scotland, and mainland UK, the Argyll Coast and Islands Hope Spot. Hope Spots are a catalyst to greater understanding, appreciation and protection of our marine environment, and they have a global reach. Collectively, they can help to protect and restore marine biodiversity on a local, regional, national and international scale.