Celebrating the Anniversary of the Lamlash Bay No Take Zone

That the Parliament celebrates the recent 18th anniversary of Scotland's first and only No Take Zone (NTZ) in Lamlash Bay, which covers 2.67 square kilometres on the east coast of the Isle of Arran; notes that the NTZ means that no fishing activity is permitted in the area; understands that the NTZ was established following 13 years of campaigning by the Community of Arran Seabed Trust after local divers and other community members witnessed the collapse of the fin fish population in Lamlash Bay and the wider Clyde region, along with damage to seabed habitats from dredging and trawling following the removal of the three-mile limit that previously prohibited these fisheries from operating close inshore; recognises that the NTZ is located within the South Arran Marine Protected Area (MPA), which provides further levels of protection from certain fishing activities through zoned fisheries management measures introduced in 2016; recognises the increase in marine life within the NTZ and wider MPA, including commercially important species such as king scallops; acknowledges what it sees as the wider social and economic benefits of such protection, and believes that, if Scotland is to become a world leader in nature restoration and to realise the wider societal benefits of this, such zoned management approaches and community-led initiatives are vital to the recovery and future wellbeing of Scotland’s inshore waters and all who depend on them.