Timeline
In 2015 the Community Association of Lochs and Sounds (CAOLAS) formed in response to the designation of the Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA.
We work to protect and restore our local marine environment through research, education, and hands-on conservation. By empowering local people to lead the stewardship of our seas, we connect people with place and help shape a thriving future for our coastlines.
Caolas Timeline
CAOLAS formed in response to the designations of the Loch Sunart and the Loch Sunart to Sound of Jura MPA.
CAOLAS joined a small gathering of other coastal community groups at a weekend-long peer-peer learning event supported by Fauna and Flora. Inspired by the experience of COAST on the Isle of Arran, the groups attending decided to form the Coastal Community Network. This was a galvanising event which has been fundamental to the development of CAOLAS and the way CAOLAS collaborates and shares knowledge. Following this event, CAOLAS, with a small amount of funding through…Read More
Following lessons learnt from attempting to report illegal fishing activity in the MPA and attending a workshop with the Marine Directorate Fisheries Protection team, CAOLAS attended the first gathering of the Our Seas coalition in Oban. This gathering recognised the ineffectiveness of the management measures in the MPA network and sought to bring about the required legislative change for marine protection in Scotland. CAOLAS remains involved in this coalition to date.
Funding from the William Grant Foundation of £40,000 for 2 years supported a Marine Community Officer post. This was CAOLAS’s first paid role and allowed CAOLAS to focus on growing capacity both internally and externally and develop a community engagement strategy to raise awareness and appreciation of the marine environment in our local communities. One outcome of this approach was a Primary School Poetry competition celebrating the MPA. That same year, funding from Fauna and…Read More
In 2021 Seawilding and CAOLAS received Funding from Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation (HIEF) that enabled CAOLAS to learn from Seawilding to establish a Native Oyster Restoration Project in Loch Aline (LNOP). This project became the key to engaging the wider community with the issues facing the marine environment. We quickly learned that by having a tangible, long-term project underway within Loch Aline, gave us a platform to build relationships, raise knowledge, understanding, appreciation of…Read More
The LNOP project continued with further support from HIEF which allowed CAOLAS to retain and maintain a relationship with our highly skilled marine project officer and continue the restoration of oysters in the loch.
CAOLAS, through the LNOP, had restored 10,000 native oysters into the loch. By this time, we had also established a reputation as a trusted voice in marine environmental matters. This allowed us to play a critical role in our Community Action Plan, which established that our community wanted to have more information and more influence over the management of our coastal waters. Significantly a marine management plan for our loch is now a priority in…Read More
Based on previous work in Loch Aline CAOLAS was invited to collaborate with the Ardtornish Estate River Basin Management Project. This two year project, funded by the Nature Restoration Fund, enabled CAOLAS to employ 2 staff members to continue LNOP. Additional funding from The Northwick Trust enabled CAOLAS to purchase their survey vessel FLAME. CAOLAS also received funding from HIEF to carry out the Morvern Baseline Project and funding from the William Grant Foundation to…Read More
2026 CAOLAS received further funding for LNOP from the Highland Council NRF to establish 4 release sites in Loch Aline for the Native Oysters to form biogenic reefs. This work is underway. The William Grant Foundation had continued to support CAOLAS and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation has confirmed funding for CAOLAS for the next 3 years to develop the Lochs and Sounds Seascape Project (LASS).