Events Diary

Join COAST for the opening of Scotland’s first marine protected area visitor centre – the Octopus Centre.  There will also be a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone (NTZ).

Date: 22nd September 2018
Location: Octopus Centre, Lamlash, Arran
Further Information: Here

Many of the CAOLAS trustees are involved with the first Sunart Water Festival being held on Sunday 16th September 2018. Full details are in the attached poster for the event.

Date: 16th September 2018
Location: On and around Loch Sunart
Further Information: Here

Empowerment in marine stewardship: emerging opportunities for citizens and communities in Scotland.  The objectives of the Sea Scotland 2018 Conference are to:

1. Explore the changing context of community engagement and empowerment in planning and decision-making in the marine area, including through the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Islands (Scotland) Bill 2017 and other developments.
2. Promote methods for effective engagement and empowerment of communities in the stewardship of marine resources.
3. As part of the Scottish Government’s ‘Year of Young People 2018’, provide a platform for youth views on the marine environment, its development and governance, and explore ideas for improved youth engagement.

Date: 20 – 21 June 2018
Location: Kinghorn, Fife
Further Information: Visit Sea Scotland or follow them on Twitter @SeaScotland to get the latest updates.

COAST are looking forward to having Paul Naylor, renown marine biologist and underwater photographer, visiting to give a fascinating talk – Private Lives Beneath The Waves: the colourful and intriguing behaviour of our marine animals.

Paul is passionate about showing people what beautiful and captivating creatures live under our coasts. Their intricate and diverse lifestyles are his particular fascination and Paul will share his photographs and video of territorial blennies, hard-working wrasse and cunning butterfish through battling limpets and self-decorating crabs. Prepare to be surprised by their antics!

You can see example of his work on: http://www.marinephoto.co.uk and https://vimeo.com/paulnaylormarinephoto.

This event is free of charge. There is a suggested donation of £3pp for adults; all donation will go to COAST. Booking is required for this event due to limited speces. Children under 16 do not require tickets. Please book your tickets here. http://arrancoast.com/get-involved/attend-an-event.

Date: Wednesday 13th June, 1830 to 2030
Location: The Octopus Centre (Old Pavilion in Lamlash), Isle of Arran
Further Information: For more information about your booking or the event please contact us at: info@arrancoast.com

Scottish Community Development Centre is working with local partners to give community groups and organisations the chance to find out more about participation requests, how to make one and what to think about before you do.

Participation requests are a new way for people to have their say about improvements they would like to see made to the public services they use. They are part of The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act. By making a participation request, a community or voluntary group can start a discussion with organisations in charge of public services, such as hospitals, schools and transport, about how to improve these services.

Upcoming FREE workshops include:

• Renfrewshire on 4 Jun, The Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley Book
• Aberdeenshire on 7 June (TBC) Book
• Angus on 11 June, Angus Carers Centre, 8 Grant Road, Arbroath Book
• South Lanarkshire on 13 June at Voluntary Action South Lanarkshire, Hamilton Book

The aim of the workshop is to review and discuss the main pressures and impacts on these species in the Clyde Marine Region, consider what is being done nationally (e.g. through the National Marine Plan and other policies and strategies) to address these issues; and to consider any draft policy options that will aim to support or add value to national policy to address these issues at a regional level. This is an open workshop and we would welcome anyone with a particular interest or knowledge in sharks, skates and rays; whales, dolphins and porpoises; seals and birds of the region, or the impact of noise on these species. If you would like to attend please send an email to: info@clydemarineplan.scot or call 0131 314 6782 for more information.

Date: 24th May 2018
Location: The Lauriston Hotel, Ardrossan, KA22 8EA
Further Information: Here

The Scottish Government are holding two public meetings in the Loch Carron area during the open consultation on the Loch Carron MPA. The purpose of this consultation is to seek your views on the designation of Loch Carron as a Marine Protected Area as well as the associated Marine Conservation Order.

Under the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010, Scottish Ministers can designate a Marine Protected Area (MPA) on an urgent basis without publishing notice of their proposals or consulting those likely to be affected.

Loch Carron was designated as an MPA in this way in May 2017, following confirmation of damage to sensitive seabed habitats in the area. An urgent Marine Conservation Order (MCO) was put in place at the same time to manage fisheries activity.

The existing urgent MPA and MCO are still in place in Loch Carron. However, an MPA designated on an urgent basis only lasts for a maximum of two years. Normal procedures for protected area designations, including public consultation, need to be undertaken to designate a permanent MPA.

Dates: 22nd and 23rd May 2018, 14:00 – 20:00
Locations: Loch Carron village hall (22nd) and Plockton village hall (23rd)
Further Information: Here

Marine Scotland is looking to see whether protection is needed for the most vulnerable PMFs in Scottish inshore waters, including whether management measures might be needed to ensure that development and use of the marine environment does not have a significant effect on their national status.

MS have therefore commissioned a Sustainability Appraisal, which looks at proposed measures for the 11 most vulnerable features and assesses the potential positive and negative effects from both an environmental and socio-economic perspective. This work is at an early stage, and a consultation on the Screening and Scoping report is currently planned to start in June 2018.

The Screening and Scoping report will be discussed as part of a Marine Protected Area management measures stakeholder event being held on 14 May 2018 in Edinburgh. If you are interested in attending this event, please contact the Marine Conservation team at marine_conservation@gov.scot. Please note that places are limited. If the event is oversubscribed, Marine Scotland will allocate attendance to ensure there is a representative spread of stakeholders.

Date: 14 May 2018
Location: Edinburgh
Further Information: Contact the Marine Conservation team at marine_conservation@gov.scot

The Porcupine Marine Natural History Society Conference 2018 will be held at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday March 17th and Sunday March 18th 2018. The central theme is “Marine Biology of the NE Atlantic”. There will also be a coastal field trip to a shore in the area of St Abbs on the Monday (19th). Registration is now open and bookings can be made via eventbrite.

Date: 17th and 18th March 2018
Location: The National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

How we see the sea is a free workshop weekend run by the brilliant community filmmaker and artist Ed Webb Ingall at Arran Coast on the 3rd and 4th March as part of the #SHORE programme.

How We See The Sea: Free Weekend Filmmaking Workshop on Arran, open to all (under 14 to be accompanied by an adult), 3rd and 4th March 2018. Would you like to explore your relationship to the sea and take part in the production of a new video? We are looking for people who are keen to take part in a free filmmaking workshop that will help equip them with the skills they need to share their stories about the sea.

Date: 3rd and 4th March 2018

Further Information: hello@invisibledust.com

The Clyde Marine Planning Partnership (CMPP), who are responsible for developing the Clyde Regional Marine Plan, due in 2020, are holding public workshops in two locations.

A presentation will be given on the findings of the ‘Clyde Marine Region Assessment’, which describes the current condition of the Clyde, changes over time, and the sensitivities and pressures faced by its diverse marine life.

The focus will be on: Seabed habitats, including: biogenic reefs, seagrass and maerl beds, soft muddy sediments and rocky reefs; Fish, including: the historical decline in herring and fish that live on or near the seabed (e.g. cod, haddock and whiting); Shellfish, including: the prawn (Nephrops) fishery of today, and other commercially important shellfish in the Clyde such as scallops, crabs and lobsters; Marine policy: with an open discussion on future marine planning policy in the Clyde in relation to the above, as well as opportunities for ongoing research and collaboration – input is  welcome from the public.

Workshop 1: Friday 26th January and Saturday 27th January

This will be an opportunity for those community groups interested in engaging in the IPM project to come together and plan a project proposal in further detail, with SNH and FFI.