CAOLAS has had a busy summer, full of loch-side activities, meeting many of you face-to-face, and continuing with our year-round oyster restoration work as part of the Lochaline Native Oyster Project. We’ve also welcomed many new members — thank you for your support!
This summer, we are delighted to once again host the Coastal Testimonies exhibition after sharing it with our community last year. Until late August, the portraits and testimonies were on display at the Lochaline Community Café. If you didn’t get a chance to see it there, don’t worry as the exhibition has moved just up the road to Drimnin Village Hall:
📍 Drimnin Village Hall — Coastal Testimonies Exhibition
Dates: Saturdays in September 2025
Opening Hours: 10.30am – 12 noon
Admission: Free
About Coastal Testimonies
The exhibition is part of a nationwide project led by the Our Seas coalition, of which CAOLAS is proud to be a member. It features portraits and insights from fishermen, scientists, educators, activists, and others across Scotland’s 11 marine regions, all sharing their lived experiences, concerns, and hopes for the future of our seas.
One of the resounding commonalities to almost all of the testimonies is the sense that our sea is not owned by any single person or interest. To quote the foreword of the Coastal Testimonies book:
“‘Our sea belongs to us all’ — to no-one and everyone, a commons to be safeguarded for the public benefit; not just for us, but for future generations. They recognise that the way our sea is managed impacts all of Scotland’s people — coastal, inland, rural or urban — through its influence on food, our climate, our mental health and culture.
“One of the best things about the sea is that nobody owns it. I think it is one of the reasons why it’s such a fantastic arena to be working with young people, because it does belong to us all. I would love to see a greater respect for the sea. I’d love to see a greater level of understanding of just how phenomenal the marine environment is. I’d like to see politicians starting to take the impending damage and the existing damage that’s being done to the marine environment seriously and taking the action that they keep paying lip service to.”
— Janis Piggot, Ullapool”
Why it matters
These voices echo much of what drives CAOLAS’s own efforts across Lochaline, Loch Sunart, the Sound of Mull, and beyond — from restoring oyster reefs to hosting public events and working with schools. Healthy seas are vital to our coastal communities, our economy, and our culture.
We encourage everyone to visit the exhibition in Drimnin, reflect on the stories, and consider adding your own testimony. Learn more and share your voice at www.ourseas.scot/coastal-testimonies.