WHAT IS WHAM?

West Highland Anchorages and Moorings Association comprises 50 corporate members including 33 moorings associations, organisations such as the Clyde Cruising Club, Oban Port Users representing fishermen and one member representing ten boatyards. Thus it represents the interests of several thousand seafarers on matters affecting anchorages, moorings and other maritime issues in several ways.

• Safety is the most important. The aim is to ensure that small vessels, whether commercial or pleasure, can rely upon unrestricted access to traditional anchorages at all times but particularly in bad weather.
• Liaison with the Royal Yachting Association (Scotland), the Crown Estate Office and the Scottish Executive during consideration of applications for seabed areas for fish-farms, moorings etc. ensures that most anchorages remain unobstructed.
• Important to boatowners throughout Scotland is WHAM's close contact with the Crown Estate Office in seeking to ensure that seabed rents for moorings are fair and reasonable.
• Preventing anchorages from being obstructed by derelict fish farms and other hazards.
• Lobbying for good marine practice on issues such as the lighting and marking of fin-fish and shell-fish farms; the removal of obstructions from anchorages and the planning of visitors' moorings, marinas and yacht harbours.
• assisting in the forward planning of harbours and coastal works to see that the space available is wisely allocated between competing users. WHAM believes that physical segregation by activity is the key to successful operation of congested areas, e.g. the separation of yachts from power boats, fishing boats etc.
• Marine conservation is wholeheartedly supported by WHAM which liaises with Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Executive in efforts to ensure that the shelter offered by traditional anchorages will continue to be available indefinitely.
• Attractive natural anchorages are part of Scotland's Heritage and should be preserved. Acarseid Mhor South Rona illustrated below is an example.

WHAM believes that habitually polarised attitudes tend to obscure the fundamental interdependence of conservation, commercial, economic and recreational activities and advocates close co-operation between groups to secure long term benefits for all.

Since its inception in 1985, the Association has developed an extensive network of contacts and advisers covering a wide breadth of interests which constitute a valuable source of expertise, knowledge and information.