News

The Scottish Government’s Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI) project in the Sound of Mull has secured an extra £1,000 to continue its support for the American Mink eradication programme on Mull.

American mink are widely considered to be one of the most destructive non-native species on the island, preying on vulnerable seabirds, native mammals and domestic poultry.

Jan Dunlop from the Mull and Iona Ranger Service, which co-ordinates the trapping programme, said: “Around 50 local trappers have been working since March 2008 across Mull to help eradicate this harmful species.

“In the past year alone, more than 80 mink have been trapped just in the Sound of Mull area, and we are grateful for the extra funding provided by SSMEI which will be used to purchase more lure, fund extra training and help pay for the co-ordination of the project.”

SSMEI project officer Isaac Forster said: “The Sound of Mull project has been based on input provided by a working group of local people from Mull and Movern, who have identified many important issues for the area.

“The support of the Mink trapping project is just one of a number of actions we hope to achieve in order to ensure the project leaves a legacy for the local community.”

The Mull and Iona Ranger Service operates in partnership with Forestry Scotland, and is funded by the Mull and Iona Community Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage and Argyll and Bute Council.

Seasearch Divers Get Wet in the Sound of Mull for World Ocean’s Day

A group of 11 divers celebrated World Ocean’s Day 2008 by taking part in a Seasearch survey of the Sound of Mull, organized by the Marine Conservation Society on the 8th and 9th of June. The survey set out to revisit sites first dived in the 1980s and verify records of nationally important marine habitats and species.

Seasearch is a volunteer underwater survey project for recreational divers in the UK, to record observations of marine habitats and the life they support. The information gathered is used to fill in gaps in our knowledge of life beneath the sea and contribute towards its conservation. Seasearch is co-ordinated by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The Scottish programme is run by the MCS Scotland Office funded by Scottish Natural Heritage.

The divers visited a variety of sites and recorded rocky reefs, seagrass beds, giant sea pens, fireworks anemone and flame shell nests. Some of these are nationally important, and are part of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and/or the OSPAR list of threatened and declining species. Jane Dodd Marine Project Officer for SNH who joined the trip as a volunteer said “It was great to be able to verify previous records for sea grass and flame shells and find some previously unreported tall sea pens. We were a bit disappointed not to find horse mussel beds though.”

Calum Duncan, MCS Scottish Conservation Manager and Seasearch Scotland co-ordinator who organised the trip said: “A great weekend was had by all the volunteer Seasearch divers on board the MV Silver Swift and I would like to thank all of them and the skipper for their efforts. Once again, Seasearch has demonstrated how volunteer divers make a valuable contribution to helping us map our important marine biodiversity.”

The trip was supported by the SSMEI Sound of Mull project and will help inform the process of developing a marine management plan for the area. Sarah Benfield Project Officer for the Sound of Mull SSMEI said: “The information gathered during this weekend, even the negative results, will be mapped and are a valuable addition to the project and have expanded our knowledge of the area’s habitats and species.”

Call for information on common - or not so common - skate

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has issued a call for information on the common skate, to try and ascertain the distribution of the fish in the waters of Argyll and Highland.

As its name suggests, the common skate, which can grow up to 3m in length and live up to 100 years, was once widely distributed and it was an important part of the inshore commercial fishery. However fishing pressure resulted in the fish being considered commercially extinct in most coastal regions of the UK by the early 1970s. It is now considered threatened.

In addition the fish can get caught up in static and towed fishing gear, as by-catch. They can however recover from the trauma of capture if released quickly, and if the right fishing tackle is used to prevent damage when they are targeted for sport. Tag and recapture programmes, where fishermen tag the fish and then throw them back, can provide invaluable information on the growth and behaviour of the fish.

Such a tag and recapture programme, coordinated by the Glasgow Museum Resource Centre, has gathered information on the distribution of common skate captured by fishermen in the Sound of Mull, Loch Linnhe and the Firth of Lorn since 1975.

Until now there have been no resources available to analyse the data collected.
However this summer, James Thorburn, who is studying for an MSc at Heriot Watt University, will look at the existing dataset and collate any new records sent in. He will also be capturing and tagging common skate with skippers from Oban, Lochaline, Tobermory and Crinan.

James will be based at the offices of Scottish Natural Heritage in Glencruitten Road, Oban. The project is also supported by the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative for the Sound of Mull and Argyll and Bute Council's Local Biodiversity Project.

James said: "The common skate is a fascinating fish living in deep, dark water and growing to a huge size over a similar lifetime to our own. They are the largest species of skate in Europe and are flat, diamond shaped fishes with a long straight tail and a cartilaginous skeleton like a shark. They are slow growing and only produce about 40 eggs a year, and therefore have a very slow population growth.

"The data provided by the tag and recapture programme in Argyll and Highland offers a unique and exciting opportunity to learn about the behaviour of the species in what may be its final refuge - I can't wait to get started!"

Jane Dodd of SNH added: "A surprising number of tourists visit Argyll and Highland to fish for skate every year and we are very grateful to the skippers for taking care not to damage the fish and for tagging them, so we can collect more information about them. James's project will help us learn more about the common skate and will contribute valuable information on the economic importance of skate fishing to Argyll and Bute, and Highland."

If you have any information to offer to the project, would like to take part in the tag and recapture programme or receive a copy of James's final report, please contact James Thorburn or Jane Dodd at Scottish Natural Heritage in Oban on 01631 567228.

Trainee Archeologists visit the Sound of Mull

The Sound of Mull has been visited by trainee archeologists, who visited Mull to learn about underwater heritage.

The participants had travelled from across the UK, Europe and the USA and were among the first to see a new interpretation panel explaining the Swan’s significance, recently installed on a promontory overlooking the wreck site.

Historic Scotland sponsored the underwater archaeology field school in the Sound of Mull to encourage public interest in the recording of Scotland’s underwater heritage.

The field school follows the introduction of the Marine (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament, a bill that includes mechanisms to improve protection and management of Scotland’s world-class marine heritage, and the establishment of the Sound of Mull pilot project of the Scottish Sustainable Marine Environment Initiative (SSMEI).

Isaac Forster, the Sound of Mull project’s pilot officer watched the students diving. He said: “The marine heritage of the Sound of Mull is an economic and cultural asset of the region that draws tourists from around the globe, and forms an integral part of the local community. The SSMEI project is developing a strategic plan for managing the marine environment, using information on where activities, features and resources occur, and taking into account economic, social and environmental factors. We hope this plan will assist in safeguarding the heritage of the region and aid in identifying appropriate development opportunities to further appreciation of historical sites and features.”

Philip Robertson, Historic Scotland’s marine archaeologist, said: “Scotland has some incredible wreck sites that have fascinating stories to tell. The Swan, where we took the students to dive, was one of three ships lost in a Commonwealth flotilla that attacked Duart Castle (Mull) in 1653 in order to stamp out pockets of Royalist resistance to republican government in the aftermath of the English Civil War. Archaeological investigations of this very well preserved historic wreck over the last decade have helped to shed light on a little known aspect of Scottish maritime history.”

For further details see Historic Scotland

Draft Sound of Mull Marine Spatial Plan launched for public consultation – 1st December to 28th February 2010

After two and a half years of production the Draft Sound of Mull Marine Spatial has been launched for public consultation. The plan tackles issues such as the regulation, management and protection of the marine environment of Sound of Mull, and will provide valuable information informing the design of legislation in the Scottish Marine Bill, which is currently being debated in the Scottish Parliament. It considers a wide variety of activities, from wildlife watching to fish farming, that take place on one of the west coast’s most historic and spectacular waterways.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP, Minister for the Environment says “The Scottish Government is making marine planning and management more efficient, inclusive and accessible – both now and for future generations through the development of the Scottish Marine Bill.”

“I welcome this draft plan, a significant milestone for an area that has been intimately linked with the marine environment for generations. Its production will help inform the future development of marine planning in Scotland and I congratulate everyone involved in its preparation.”

“I would now urge anyone, whether an individual or representative of industry or community, who has an interest in the future of the Sound of Mull, to read the draft plan and put forward any suggestions for improvement”

Councillor Robert Macintyre from Argyll & Bute Council, spokesperson for Economy, Environment and Rural Affairs, said: "The Sound of Mull is an area of great natural beauty appreciated by many visitors every year, and is vital to the well-being of the local communities.

"This plan aims to ensure sustainable usage of the area for the sake of all who utilise or enjoy it. Whilst further input from industry, marine users and agencies is anticipated, views from the wider public are very much welcomed."

Copies of the draft Sound of Mull Marine Spatial Plan can be downloaded from www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/ssmeisoundofmullconsultation from the 1st of December. The consultation period will last until Sunday the 28th February 2010 and comments received will be used to help finalise the plan ahead of its publication in mid 2010.

Public Drop in Sessions for Draft Sound of Mull Marine Spatial Plan

As part of the consultation the SSMEI project will be holding public drop-in sessions for members of the public to learn more about the plan, and to provide any feedback on how the project has been conducted so far. Drop in session details are as follows:
LOCHALINE - VILLAGE HALL 7th December 3:00pm to 8:00pm
KILCHOAN - COMMUNITY CENTRE 8th December 3:00pm to 8:00pm
TOBERMORY - AROS HALL 9th December 3:00pm to 8:00pm
CRAIGNURE – VILLAGE HALL 10th December 3:00pm to 8:00pm