Latest news with #DonMacNeish
The Herald Scotland
3 hours ago
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Arran seabed project recognised by David Attenborough
Led by divers Don MacNeish and Howard Wood, the project sought to restore the seabed, which had been devastated by bottom trawling and dredging. The square mile 'no take zone', which is surrounded by a protected marine area, has since undergone a natural restoration. Read More: Lobster populations have quadrupled while the number of king scallops has increased six fold, though full recovery could take up to two centuries. The Lamlash Bay project has been featured in a new film by Mr Attenborough, Ocean, which was released to coincide with the UN Oceans Conference. One of the key focuses of the summit, which is being held in the south of France, is expected to be the impact of dredging and bottom trawling. In the film, Mr MacNeish talks about the drastic differences he noticed in the area after the three mile limit, which was designed to protect spawning grounds was removed. He told the BBC: "I just couldn't believe the regeneration that had happened and I was just swimming along with a demand valve in my mouth and a huge smile on my face. This is what it was all about. "I'm all for fishing, but not necessarily everywhere. We just need small pockets of protection to be able to reseed the entire area."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- General
- Yahoo
Arran seabed restoration championed by David Attenborough
Don MacNeish and Howard Wood have almost a century of recreational diving experience between them so when they saw the seabed off the Isle of Arran being destroyed they took action. The pair spent years convincing the Scottish government to create Scotland's first "no take zone" in Lamlash Bay which halted all forms of fishing. As world leaders gather in the south of France for the UN Oceans Conference, their story is being showcased as a prime example of how the seas can be protected. Don has featured in the latest David Attenborough film, Ocean, which was released to coincide with the summit. The destruction the pair witnessed was being caused by bottom trawling and dredging which involves dragging heavy equipment or nets along the seabed to scoop up the catch. The "no take zone" - introduced in 2008 - banned all forms of fishing within an area of one square mile. Seventeen years on and the zone, along with the Marine Protected Area (MPA) surrounding it, has naturally restored to create a nursery ground for young fish and marine life. Lobster populations have quadrupled while the number of king scallops has increased six fold. But it could take two centuries for it to become the complex, balanced ecosystem it once was. A focus of the UN Oceans Conference is expected to be the environmental damage caused by bottom trawling and dredging. "Because we were part of the first divers that went down to the sea bed round about Arran, we started to see the damage that was being caused and realised that unless we can bring up these images, people wouldn't understand," Don said. Howard added: "There was the odd star fish left but basically the whole sea bed was just raked away." The pair said they originally gathered together local fishermen in a pub and asked them which area of the sea would inconvenience them the least if it were to be closed off. They pointed to Lamlash Bay between Arran and Holy Isle. There followed a years' long battle with politicians and civil servants before the protected area was finally created. A Marine Protected Area was later added, covering the waters around south Arran which restricted some, but not all, forms of fishing. Don, who is 78, has an engineering background and first began diving in the early 1980s while Howard, a 70-year-old horticulturalist, first dived in 1974. In the film Ocean with David Attenborough, Don delivers powerful testimony of how he had witnessed alarming changes to the seabed since the three-mile limit was scrapped in 1984. The limit banned inshore dredging and trawling and many creel fishermen would like to see it return. Creel fishing involves baited traps being left on the seabed which are usually collected a few days later. It is considered to be a "low impact" method compared with bottom trawling and dredging. The Scottish Fishermen's Federation has said these methods are only damaging if they are carried out "in the wrong place" and that Scotland's waters are already heavily managed. It added that dredging and trawling were "really efficient methods of producing food" and that the right balance needed to be struck between food production and protection of the seas. But conservationists have long argued that many MPAs do not offer any protection at all against damaging fishing. Don says David Attenborough's film is "absolutely crucial" in highlighting the damage caused to the seabed by some forms of fishing. He wants people to start taking personal responsibility for what they eat and says small pockets of nature need to be allowed to reproduce to seed wider areas. Howard added that there needed to be "proper" protection of the seas - banning damaging fishing methods. The men are backing a call from the Our Seas coalition to ban bottom trawling and dredging in 30% of Scotland's inshore water. Although the pair don't dive as much as they used to, both revisited the "no take zone" together a couple of years ago to see what progress was being made. Don said: "I just couldn't believe the regeneration that had happened and I was just swimming along with a demand valve in my mouth and a huge smile on my face. This is what it was all about. "I'm all for fishing, but not necessarily everywhere. We just need small pockets of protection to be able to reseed the entire area."
BBC News
9 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Arran seabed restoration championed by Sir David Attenborough
Don MacNeish and Howard Wood have almost a century of recreational diving experience between them so when they saw the seabed off the Isle of Arran being destroyed they took pair spent years convincing the Scottish government to create Scotland's first "no take zone" in Lamlash Bay which halted all forms of world leaders gather in the south of France for the UN Oceans Conference, their story is being showcased as a prime example of how the seas can be has featured in the latest David Attenborough film, Ocean, which was released to coincide with the summit. The destruction the pair witnessed was being caused by bottom trawling and dredging which involves dragging heavy equipment or nets along the seabed to scoop up the "no take zone" - introduced in 2008 - banned all forms of fishing within an area of one square years on and the zone, along with the Marine Protected Area (MPA) surrounding it, has naturally restored to create a nursery ground for young fish and marine populations have quadrupled while the number of king scallops has increased six it could take two centuries for it to become the complex, balanced ecosystem it once was. A focus of the UN Oceans Conference is expected to be the environmental damage caused by bottom trawling and dredging."Because we were part of the first divers that went down to the sea bed round about Arran, we started to see the damage that was being caused and realised that unless we can bring up these images, people wouldn't understand," Don added: "There was the odd star fish left but basically the whole sea bed was just raked away."The pair said they originally gathered together local fishermen in a pub and asked them which area of the sea would inconvenience them the least if it were to be closed pointed to Lamlash Bay between Arran and Holy followed a years' long battle with politicians and civil servants before the protected area was finally created.A Marine Protected Area was later added, covering the waters around south Arran which restricted some, but not all, forms of fishing. Don, who is 78, has an engineering background and first began diving in the early 1980s while Howard, a 70-year-old horticulturalist, first dived in the film Ocean with David Attenborough, Don delivers powerful testimony of how he had witnessed alarming changes to the seabed since the three-mile limit was scrapped in limit banned inshore dredging and trawling and many creel fishermen would like to see it fishing involves baited traps being left on the seabed which are usually collected a few days is considered to be a "low impact" method compared with bottom trawling and Scottish Fishermen's Federation has said these methods are only damaging if they are carried out "in the wrong place" and that Scotland's waters are already heavily added that dredging and trawling were "really efficient methods of producing food" and that the right balance needed to be struck between food production and protection of the conservationists have long argued that many MPAs do not offer any protection at all against damaging fishing. Don says David Attenborough's film is "absolutely crucial" in highlighting the damage caused to the seabed by some forms of wants people to start taking personal responsibility for what they eat and says small pockets of nature need to be allowed to reproduce to seed wider areas. Howard added that there needed to be "proper" protection of the seas - banning damaging fishing men are backing a call from the Our Seas coalition to ban bottom trawling and dredging in 30% of Scotland's inshore the pair don't dive as much as they used to, both revisited the "no take zone" together a couple of years ago to see what progress was being said: "I just couldn't believe the regeneration that had happened and I was just swimming along with a demand valve in my mouth and a huge smile on my face. This is what it was all about."I'm all for fishing, but not necessarily everywhere. We just need small pockets of protection to be able to reseed the entire area."
The National
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
New Attenborough film shows what can be achieved by empowered locals
Reviewers are unanimous. It's magnificent. The hard-to-please Rotten Tomatoes gives it a very rare 100% rating. 'The celebrated broadcaster's lifetime has coincided with the great age of ocean discovery … and he points to inspirational stories from round the world to deliver his greatest message: the ocean can recover to a glory beyond anything anyone alive has ever seen.' The Guardian gives it five stars. 'Released on his 99th birthday and presented in the context of his remarkable career, Sir David's authority is matched only by nature's grandeur in this visually stunning film.' READ MORE: Two Irish diplomats among delegation IDF fired near in West Bank Even the conservative Telegraph is keen. 'This cracking documentary shows the otherworldly splendour of our planet's sea life – and the crisis that mortally threatens it.' Clearly, Ocean is a triumph – but what has this sweeping global story got to do with Scotland? Put simply, this ecological blockbuster was conceived years ago in Arran by a couple of divers appalled at the destruction they were witnessing in and around Lamlash Bay. Don MacNeish features in the documentary, partly filmed by his nephew Doug Anderson, an Emmy-winning underwater cameraman with credits on all the Attenborough classics, whose film and diving career began in the seas around Arran. Howard Wood co-founded the community marine charity COAST with Don and negotiated the first no-take zone in British waters with local fishermen, supported by their island community. That joint effort protected an important part of the world's marine ecosystem – our own – an achievement recognised by the film's producers, who invited the men along with their wives Kathleen and Lesley, to the documentary's gala launch at the Royal Festival Hall in London earlier this month. It was long overdue recognition. The idea for Ocean With David Attenborough was essentially hatched in 2003, when the campaign to protect the waters around Arran started gathering momentum. But for most people, the seabed was out of sight, and out of mind. (Image: Supplied) As Wood put it: 'If people can't see what's at stake, the richness that still lingers in hidden coves and the devastation caused by dredging in once-thriving seabed habitats, how can they be expected to care?' So, he started gathering old photos of sea anglers and commercial fishing boats, from the days when herring and whitefish still dominated Clyde fishing, and paired them with current underwater photos. The contrast was stark: vibrant marine life was somehow clinging on to the remote corners of Lamlash Bay, but vast stretches of lifeless seabed had been gouged out by dredgers. These images became the backbone of talks in Arran and beyond. By 2005, after a decade of dialogue, community discussions, government meetings, and detailed proposals, COAST's call for a modest No Take Zone, and a broader Marine Protected Area for low-impact fishing was still being blocked by civil servants and the dredging industry's trade body. So, Anderson returned to Arran in 2006 with his family to help the Lamlash divers tell their story. That summer, they made The Bay, an educational film for schools, and Caught In Time, a documentary on COAST's YouTube channel today. This was just the beginning. (Image: VisitArran) Over the years, in between filming the Blue Planet and other documentaries around the world, Anderson came home to dive around Arran with MacNeish and Wood, documenting the resilience of marine life and the scars left by industrial dredging. Together they imagined something more powerful – a film that would inform and stir emotion, combining breathtaking footage with the voices of Clyde fishermen, marine scientists, sea anglers, and officials to tell the compelling story of marine ecological collapse and community resistance. According to MacNeish: 'It became clear the most powerful weapon used against communities seeking protection for the seabed, was isolation. 'Making people feel small, unheard, and powerless. But what we came to realise and what the film OCEAN powerfully affirms, is that we were never alone. From Mexico to the Philippines, from Scotland to Turkey, coastal communities have been rising up to defend their seas. What began here on Arran is now part of a global movement.' In one of the film's most powerful moments, MacNeish appears on screen, speaking movingly about the sense of loss he felt watching once-thriving seabeds being wiped out. The final spur came in 2021 from environmental lawyer Tom Appleby – invited to draft a global overview of the legal and ecological threats facing our oceans. That paper prompted interest from Silverback Films and the concept for Attenborough's Ocean was born. In 2022, film crews were dispatched across the globe to destinations including Arran, as part of a major international production. Dozens of staff and hundreds of volunteers and advisers contributed time and expertise. While the filming of new bottom trawl footage went smoothly, capturing dredge footage in the UK was difficult. Again, Arran played a part. At the 11th hour, Dr Bryce Stewart – a leading scallop expert and research lead for Arran's Marine Protected Areas – offered access to his research, which proved vital for the scallop dredge filming scenes. Three years later, the film was complete. It weaves together breathtaking marine imagery with uncompromising truths about ecological damage, political inertia, and the transformative power of community-led action. Ocean is not just a documentary about what's at stake; it's a testament to what's possible – when local people lead the charge. It may be that Ocean represents a turning point; it certainly is a rallying cry from the trusted voice of Attenborough, backed by rigorous global scientific research. In the world of marine conservation, some of the most powerful ripples begin in the quietest of coves. More than two decades ago, few would believe that a small island community on the west coast of Scotland could inspire a ground-breaking documentary narrated by the world's most respected naturalist. And yet, that's exactly what has happened. Twenty years ago, COAST was just a handful of people on the Isle of Arran; divers, fishers, families, neighbours coming together because the seabed they knew and loved was being torn apart by dredgers and trawlers. And because no one in power seemed to care. For almost a decade, they were met with silence, indifference, and quiet pressure to stop making a fuss. But they kept diving, kept filming and kept campaigning. And this month, something extraordinary has happened: the story of Arran's Lamlash Bay has become part of a global film. The lesson is simple. Scottish island communities can help shake and shape the world. Imagine what more they could do with more local power and less quango interference. Ocean proves the divers of Lamlash Bay are not alone – and never were. Ocean with David Attenborough is in cinemas now.
