Revive the Clyde - Show Your Support and Sign Up!

The Firth of Clyde's fish stocks are under threat. Help us change the way the marine environment is managed, and help local communities bring back an economically viable and diverse fishery in the Clyde. Find out more and show your support at www.revivetheclyde.org

The shocking state of the sea bed of the Firth of Clyde!

Up until until the 1970s the Firth of Clyde was a booming fishery providing employment and prosperity for the people of the surrounding area. The Scottish Herring fishery was central to the Firth of Clyde. There had been around over 40,000 tons of Herring caught per year in the late 1940s, and in the 1960s the Clyde was still producing around 14,000 tons of herring every year. In addition to the commercial fishing operations, thousands of recreational Sea Anglers were attracted to the area every year, putting even more money into aspects of the local economy such as pubs, restaurants, hotels and guest houses. However, in the 1960s the ban on bottom trawling which had been firmly in place since the late 1800s was lifted with bottom trawling now allowed in the Firth of Clyde - although there was a ban on trawling within three nautical miles of the shore.

In the 1970s the Clyde was a Mecca for Sea Anglers!

The combination of trawling close to the shore, along with the increasing efficiency of fishing vessels due to improved engine power, electronic fish finders and seabed mapping and advances in net technology, meant that the area could be fished like never before. Bottom dwelling species such as Cod, Hake, Turbot, Haddock, Whiting and Flatfish were now all being caught along with the pelagic species such as Herring and Mackerel. However, such fishing intensity could not last and by the 1980s stocks of demersal fish were showing serious signs of depletion, while the Herring fishery was also producing much less than it had in previous years. This should have sparked both the Firth of Clyde fishing industry and politicians into action to protect the remaining fish stocks and allow both the fish numbers and marine environment to recover. Instead the absolute opposite happened. The ban on trawling within three miles of the shore was lifted allowing the entire Firth of Clyde to be intensively trawled. While this provided a short term boost to the now-struggling fishing industry it was a short-term measure which caused the remaining stocks to be effectively fished out. By the year 2000 the entire Firth of Clyde fishery was producing a fraction of the fish it had just a few decades previously. Show your support for the reinstatement of an exclusion zone and sign the Clyde Charter by clicking HERE - it only takes a minute!

WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER

SIFT believes that inshore fisheries should be managed for productivity and not for decline. Decades of decline of inshore fish populations and fishery jobs must and can be reversed by adopting genuinely sustainable management policies for inshore fisheries.

THE CLYDE CHARTER

We believe the Firth of Clyde fishery should be managed to:

1. Revive the Firth of Clyde marine environment.
2. Support a diverse fishery, boosting jobs and the local economy.
3. Promote fisheries management based on local input and scientific advice.

Sign the Clyde Charter by clicking HERE - it only takes a minute!

For more information please see our principles.

WHY YOU SHOULD SIGN THE CLYDE CHARTER

It is YOUR fishery!
The Firth of Clyde is a public fishery, that is managed on your behalf by the Scottish Government. By signing the Charter you will show them that you care about how it is managed and that will help them to take the management steps necessary to deliver a Firth of Clyde fishery managed in the public interest.

Support Clyde 2020
Over a number of years COAST and SIFT have worked to get the issue of the state of the Clyde onto the Scottish Government’s agenda. The Scottish Government responded by launching Clyde 2020, which aims to create and deliver a new vision for the Clyde. Richard Lochhead, cabinet secretary for the environment, has publicly stated: ‘My vision for the Clyde Basin is for a healthy and thriving marine ecosystem that supports sustainable fishing, tourism and leisure while offering protection to the fragile natural habitats’. Please help us turn that visionary statement into reality.

SIFT plans to recover the Firth of Clyde Fishery
SIFT is developing a positive model of fishery governance for the Firth of Clyde which aims to recover the diversity, strength and productivity of the Firth of Clyde fishery. SIFT needs support for this model if is to stand a chance of being approved by the Scottish Government. The model fishery is designed to deliver the outcomes set out in the Clyde Charter. Your support for the Clyde Charter will help guarantee success.

Sign the Clyde Charter by clicking HERE - it only takes a minute!

For more information about SIFT, find out what we do.

GET INVOLVED

There are many ways you can help and spread the word of the campaign…

Spread the word
If you like this campaign please share this website on your social networks. Or tell your mates about it when you are next down the chippy. Everything helps.

Become a Clyde Champion
We want to encourage Clyde Champions to spread the word in their local community. Why not contact us to find out more about how you could help the campaign in your area by providing information and generally helping out the campaign even giving talks to local Clyde organisations. Each champion will receive a campaign pack to help spread the message. If you're interested drop the Campaign coordinator, Morven Robertson, an email at revivetheclyde@sift-uk.org

Thanks for your help reviving the Clyde. Revive the Clyde is a campaign ran by SIFT (Sustainable Inshore Fisheries Trust) which aims to work to restore the Clyde and help make the changes which will once again lead to the Clyde becoming a diverse and healthy fishery. You can pledge your support by signing the Clyde Charter by clicking here, and follow the campaign on Twitter and Facebook.