Please Help Use Take On The Coastal Challenge

 I’ve planed a two day Kayak trip along the rocky coast of northeast Scotland. Camping overnight I plan to travel from Aberdeen to Stonehaven in aid of the Marine Conservation Society.

The Marine Conservation Society (MCS) is the ’s charity dedicated to caring for our seas and its marine and coastal life. Founded in 1977 the MCS has been involved in many projects encouraging industrial and government action through education and community involvement. The costal challenge has been set up in an effort to raise funds and keep the MCS doing their good work.

 Let me tell you a little about the area that I’m interested in.

 I love eating fish! Whether it’s a crustacean, bivalve or teleost, who cares, like many others out there I love it. It is this demand for fish products that has led to a vast over harvesting of our seas. Most fished species are what you would call benthopelagic species, meaning they spend a lot of their time at the bottom of the sea. Fishing techniques when in pursuit of these species is equivalent to clear felling forests in pursuit of deer. The difference here, is that even scientists with their sophisticated technology find it difficult to see these ill effects deep under the surface lyres. Adding to this is the misplaced vision that our oceans will give us what we need. This makes it very difficult to stir the public’s interest the way they might respond to TV images of a harpooned whale. In a world of constant turmoil why should we care? You might ask! In the case of the marine mammal protection act of 1972, it was precisely these kind of images, in this case dying dolphins, that led to massive public involvement resulting in large scale changes in catching techniques right through to consumer choice.

With your support something can be done!

 I want to make it perfectly clear I do not wish you to stop eating fish nor would you if I asked you to. The MCS publishes a good fish guide to help those who want to, make informed consumer choices. In the cliché sense of the phrase I want my children and their children to enjoy the oceans and coasts as much as I do whether they enjoy fish and chips or finding a species of bird on a coastal walk.

Marine reserves have two functions to protect special habitats and/or species and in addition can also function as a fisheries enhancement reserve provided the reserve protects a sufficient proportion of habitat. Protection from harmful fishing practices allows populations within to recover and can protect fish stocks from complete collapse. Currently only 0.02% of our marine environment is protected. In an environment that is primarily fluid the present fishing pressure on already overexploited stocks guaranties that many more stocks will collapse. What is needed is a massive push to implement marine reserves along with changes in consumer choice.

 Helping push this forward is the MCS and with your sponsorship together we can make the necessary steps to ensuring the wellbeing of our surrounding seas and oceans. Please sponsor me on my trip so that all the funds raised can help implement marine reserves in territorial waters today.

 Thank you!

 Adrian Macleod