SSMEI - Pilot initiatives
Fisheries
The SSMEI aims to develop a sustainable Berwickshire fishery; not only operating within environmental limits, but also economically healthy. It will review the opportunities for fishing, packaging, processing and distribution activities within a sustainable framework and take the actions necessary to initiate and encourage these businesses. To this end the SSMEI has commissioned independent research to review local existing and potential fishery related businesses covering the full range from sea to plate. The research will assess the possibilities for business growth and highlight the key limiting factors. It will provide detailed action points to address these and promote the various enterprises that have been identified. The report and a summary are now available to download.
Integrated Harbour Management
The two main Berwickshire harbours, Eyemouth and St. Abbs, are both experiencing increased interest in dive tourism, with several charter boats and a dive school setting up over the past few years. This represents a welcome diversification in harbour-related businesses, especially following the reduction in the Scottish fishing fleet, and some of the dive boats are in fact run by ex-fishermen.
To promote this small but increasing niche industry in Berwickshire, the SSMEI in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise Borders, has set up a local dive group with members from the dive-related businesses and both harbour trusts. It provides a forum for marketing ideas to promote Berwickshire collectively as a dive destination, but also allows visitor management issues peculiar to each harbour to be addressed with stakeholder involvement.
To sustain and consolidate its’ reputation as a popular visitor destination and working harbour, the SSMEI is currently compiling a programme of works with costings to maintain and improve St Abbs harbour for both residents and visitors. This is being done in partnership with the harbour trust and harbour master.
Visitor Management
As mentioned above, the Dive Group can also act as a forum to resolve visitor management issues with regard to harbours and divers, and to discuss marketing ideas for the sustainable development of dive tourism in the area. In addition, the SSMEI is preparing a Visitor Management Plan for the Berwickshire coast. In common with many rural areas, the villages, beaches and cliffs along the coast are popular visitor destinations in the summer, but can suffer from visitor management problems: congested car parks, insufficient public transport, erosion, education etc. Although only 18 miles of coastline, the Berwickshire coast has a dynamic mosaic of visitor management issues which the SSMEI plan will address and offer recommendations for their alleviation. The plan is now available to download.
Socio-economic and environmental review of marine resource use along the Berwickshire coastline
As a baseline to future socio-economic and environmental performance, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) schemes such as the SSMEI require greater economic accounting of activities intimately linked to coastal communities. Such information on a local scale around Scotland is sparse. Therefore, in addition to the community based project initiatives, the SSMEI Berwickshire pilot was required to carry out a socio-economic review on the importance of a high quality marine environment on the local economy. The review and executive summary can both be accessed.
Or return to the general Berwickshire SSMEI page.
Unified Solutions.