Summer 2009 - Scottish Natural Heritage

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 Scottish 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