Grantee: Seaful

Duration:  11 months (December 2025 – October 2026) 

 

Background

Scotland created an ambitious network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA’s) in 2014. However, over ten years later, damaging fishing practices such as bottom trawling and dredging are allowed in 92% of inshore MPA’s – areas close to the coast identified as vital habitats for marine biodiversity.

In 2026, The Scottish Government are set to introduce long awaited fisheries management measures for inshore MPA’s. A consultation, seeking stakeholder and public opinion on the proposals, will run for 4 months. This consultation requires public response in support for protection, but it is anticipated to be clunky and difficult to interpret and respond to, and the conversations are complex and nuanced enough as to be a barrier to the general public responding.

Efforts to improve understanding of the key issues and encourage involvement in the consultation are thus essential to securing marine protection that delivers positive outcomes for marine life and coastal communities.

The Project

Seaful is a UK charity dedicated to connecting people to the ocean and empowering ocean stewardship. CEO Cal Major is an experienced ocean advocate, producer and presenter, famous for world record paddleboarding attempts that received national TV coverage (STV).

This exciting project involves the production of a visually stunning and engaging film to offer essential insight and background to the Inshore MPA consultation. It will feature local voices from the West Highlands, demonstrating the benefit to communities from marine protection. A series of film nights held in Coastal Communities, alongside an online release, will connect people with the consultation and encourage individual responses.

This funding will also support further episodes to the successful podcast series, the Our Ocean podcast (here), allowing Cal to bring rich conversations on Scottish marine protection with associated calls to action.

Together, these resources will have an impact on marine protection through increased awareness of, and engagement with, a piece of vital marine legislation with potential for significant recovery of marine biodiversity.