A celebration of coastal voices coming to Eyemouth this July

A weekend celebration centred around a photographic exhibition sharing experiences of Scotland’s inshore seas with events inside and out organised in collaboration with National Trust for Scotland, Berwickshire Marine Reserve and Blue Marine Foundation

For the past year the Our Seas Coalition has been gathering testimonies from people all around the country about their first-hand experiences and local knowledge of Scotland’s inshore seas. The coalition has spoken to many people from all eleven Scottish marine regions, including commercial fishers, skippers, sea anglers, politicians, naturalists, scientists, local businesses, community groups, artists, and those with recreational interests and commissioned photographer Katerina Barvirova to record their testimonies and capture their portrait. These testimonies and portraits are the foundation for a multimedia photographic exhibition which will be toured around coastal locations. 

With a rich history of fishing and strong links to the sea, Eyemouth is the ideal coastal location to launch these important testimonies. The weekend offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about our inshore seas and coastal environments and share the hope for environmental recovery, via talks, walks, workshops and more. Including a ‘Seas of Tomorrow’ workshop run by marine biologist Caitlin Turner. Young people are inheriting a future that they’re getting very little say in and this workshop will be a platform to share their opinions on what they want the future of Scotland’s seas to look like and what we need to do to achieve this.

“These testimonies from Scotland’s diverse coastal communities are a topical insight into the hopes and fears about the future of our seas. The exhibition draws together voices from Sandhead to Stornoway and Kyleakin to Kirkwall, presenting powerful reflections about the historical abundance of life in our seas which once directly sustained so many communities around Scotland’s coast. It is fitting that the Coastal Testimonies project is being launched in Eyemouth, a town with such a rich heritage and connection to the sea. A common thread running through these testimonies is the hope that many people hold for reviving the health of our seas and fisheries, and the importance of giving local communities agency in decision-making. This project will continue to grow and we look forward to future collaborations.” – Hayley Wolcott, Coordinator of the Our Seas Coalition

Conservation is not just about fish stocks, it’s about human interaction with the waters. It’s about ensuring that island life is sustainable, that jobs using the waters are here, not just next year, but in 50 years and in 100 years time.

Darren Taylor community development leader Daliburgh, South Uist

Our Seas Coalition is an alliance of 140+ coastal businesses, community groups, fishermen’s associations and environmental organisations campaigning for the environmental recovery of Scotland’s coastal marine environment and the revival of sustainable inshore fisheries.  The primary focus of this project is to promote a better understanding of inshore environmental and fisheries issues through the collection of personal accounts and inspire greater dialogue and action within communities.

Full event details here.