National Trust for Scotland ranger Liza Cole explains why this is a special year for Scotland’s fi rst marine reserve 1 Making a splash 56 The Nature of Scotland
1 One of the main reasons that divers come to St Abbs is the wolf fish. The reserve is regarded as the best place in the UK to see them. 2 Thousands of people dive in the reserve every year, where the clear waters provide perfect conditions to view the rich and varied marine wildlife. 2 Twenty-fi ve years ago, Sir David Bellamy fl ung himself into the water at St Abbs harbour, so declaring Scotland’s fi rst marine reserve open. It was the climax to a lot of effort by a whole host of people to get things to this stage. But I’m sure the founding members never thought even in their wildest dreams that the voluntary marine reserve (VMR) would still be a leading light in marine conservation in Scotland a quarter of a century later. So, how did it all come about? People have been diving at St Abbs ever since they could get their hands on the right bits and pieces to construct their own dive kit. Some came just to enjoy the easy access to clear waters and spectacular underwater scenery. Others also appreciated the fantastic abundance and variety of marine life, with the unusual combination of Arctic species, such as the wolf fi sh, alongside Mediterranean-Atlantic species, such as the Devonshire cup coral. In the early days, there were just a handful of divers, who were seen by the locals as being strange but harmless eccentrics. However, as more and more people started coming to the area to dive, there were concerns that they might start to harm the wildlife, with many folk being in the habit of taking a lobster or crab home ‘for the pot’. So, dive clubs who visited St Abbs regularly set up a self-imposed ‘look and don’t touch’ area at St Abbs, and encouraged others to sign up to this too. And, about the same time, a conservation-minded landowner at Eyemouth, who could control shore access to great dive sites like Weasel Loch, established the Barefoots Marine Reserve off the coast there. The introduction of the Wildlife and Countryside Act in 1981 offered the potential to form statutory marine nature reserves (MNRs) and brought hope that the wildlife of the coastal waters would receive legal protection. However, the legislation proved a bit cumbersome. It soon became clear that it was going to take a lot of work to designate these reserves. In the end, it took 14 years for just three MNRs to be set up in the whole of the UK. Not to be deterred, a committee of fi shermen, conservationists, divers and others got together. They decided to combine the ‘look and don’t touch’ area at St Abbs with the Barefoots reserve, and so St Abbs & Eyemouth VMR came into being. Its aims have not changed to this day: conserving marine wildlife, raising awareness of the marine environment and promoting responsible recreation. All of this is achieved alongside a sustainable creel fi shery. And it works pretty well on the whole, so much so that the VMR is respected countrywide for its work. There are all sorts of events planned throughout the year as a way of celebrating the reserve’s silver jubilee, not least a ceremonial ‘jump in’ at St Abbs Harbour on 18 August, the anniversary of the launch. We’re hoping to get David Bellamy to come back and do it again, joined by 24 others, one person for each year of the VMR’s existence. Then, in the autumn, we hope to host the <strong>Scottish</strong> Diving Conference here. In addition, because the area holds a special place in many people’s hearts, we’ve decided that the most fi tting tribute would be to give everyone the chance to play a part in the management of the VMR. So, we’re launching a ‘Friends’ group for the reserve. It means that for just £1 a month you can do your bit for St Abbs and have your name put on a virtual noticeboard on the website, our modern-day equivalent of the original idea. If you’d like more details on the VMR and how to become a Friend go to www.marine-reserve.co.uk www.snh.org.uk 57
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