COAST Discovery Centre, Isle of Arran

COAST Discovery Centre, Isle of Arran

The COAST Discovery Centre is Scotland’s first Marine Protected Area (MPA) visitor centre, and the UK’s first community-led MPA visitor centre. It is led by COAST with the people of Arran. This project has only come together thanks to the drive, skills and commitment of over a hundred volunteers working along with our staff, and through many generous donations and grants.

Introductions

For the past three decades the people of Arran have campaigned to stop mobile fishing that damages our seabeds, jeopardising future livelihoods and wildlife.

Our community proposed and achieved protection, in 2008, for the first community-led No Take Zone in Lamlash Bay (NTZ). In this small area of 2.67 sq. km no fishing of any sort is permitted. Look at the NTZ case study from Kerri Whiteside, FFI’s Project Manager, of the Scotland Marine Community Support Project, for a full history behind this campaign.

In 2016, the South Arran Marine Protected Area (MPA) extended this area to nearly 300 sq km to exclude scallop dredging but allow for other, potentially more sustainable, fishing methods in various zones.

Despite this protection, salmon farming, illegal fishing, electrofishing, pollution and ineffective management still pose a risk to our waters, protected or not. This is why we are active partners of the Clyde Marine Planning Partnership and heavily involved with consultations and campaigns. We want to share our local knowledge and experience to improve the way our seas are managed.

In 2018 we opened the Opens in new windowCOAST Discovery Centre, Scotland’s first MPA Visitor Centre, led by our community to engage more locals and visitors in coastal and marine activities and learning. 

COAST has made many documentaries, such as “Caught in Time” and “The Bay”, and continues to produce short videos to raise awareness of the diversity of sea life around Arran and the impacts of destructive fishing in the Clyde. These can be viewed on the COAST Youtube channel.

Most recently, COAST’s Co-Founder Don MacNeish featured in ‘Ocean with David Attenborough’, a feature-length documentary about the urgent need to protect our seas. Learn more about COAST’s story via our recent short film ‘Hope In the Water: 30 years of Ocean Recovery off the Isle of Arran’.

This year, COAST is celebrating 30 years of community-led marine conservation. View our special programme of events including a big summer fun day on Saturday 16^th August via the COAST What’s On webpage. 

Website: Arran Coast

YouTube: Arran COAST