Fishing Industry - Historical and Current - 5 Minute Read
Historical - Stornoway developed as the economic heart of the island because of its prime advantage in having a superb natural harbour which is over one square mile in extent, and which can be entered in almost any state of wind or tide. The name Stornoway is derived from the Norse for "anchor bay".
Thus, more than one thousand years ago, Stornoway evolved as an important base and staging post in the sea-borne Viking empire. The Norse supremacy ended in 1265 when the island was integrated into the Kingdom of Scotland. In the latter part of the sixteenth century a report to the King stated, amongst other things, that the island had a superabundance of fish.
Over the next two centuries the development of the fishing industry became the main impetus for the gradual development and improvement of Stornoway harbour. The census of 1763 showed that 500 men and 50 boats were employed in fishing from Stornoway. The boats, however, were not suitable for deep sea fishing and the herring fishery stagnated until the introduction of the larger boat, the 'Anstrutherach' in the mid-nineteenth century.
The island was surrounded by rich herring and white fish grounds and the harbour was strategically positioned facing the ports of Kyle of Lochalsh (65 miles), and Mallaig (85 miles) on the Scottish mainland. In the 1870's Stornoway was recognised as the major herring port of Britain - if not Europe. What made its position of cardinal importance in the herring industry was the uniqueness of its long season when compared to other fishing regions around the British Isles. Fishing was continuous for ten or eleven months of the year, and although the herring industry was centred on Stornoway many crofters from around the island relied on herring and white fish catches for their main income. The importance of fish for income grew until the early 1900's when its economic value outweighed its food value for the local population. In the summer months, at the height of the season, Stornoway's population tripled from 3,000 to nearly 9,000 people, made up of fishermen, herring gutters, packers, fish curers, coopers, carters, and labourers.
'The zenith of the herring fishery was between 1900 and World War 1 when the steam drifter became the main means of catching herring. Almost all the locally owned boats now had decking, rather than being open like the traditional sgoth, and some used steam hauling gear to deal with their sails and nets.
However, the First World War dealt a devastating blow to the Hebridean herring fishery. The islands lost more than one thousand men who were killed or severely injured in the fighting, and in the sinking of the Iolaire on New Year's Day 1919. Many fishing boats became unusable during the years of war. As peace dawned, there were no longer sales to the vast overseas markets of Russia - which had become the USSR following the triumph of the Communists - and in economically-stricken Germany. The fishery continued on a smaller scale and had to suffer illegal trawling by boats from Aberdeen, Fleetwood and other big mainland ports.
During World War Two, fishing continued from Stornoway with boats coming from as far as Fife for up to 16 weeks at a time. However, national eating habits were changing and herring was no longer sought after. Commercially, Stornoway found itself unable to compete with mainland ports like Mallaig. As numbers of herring being caught fell, systems for catching them improved - from drifters, to ringnetters, to trawlers and finally, in the 1960's, the purse seine or purse net. Designed originally in Norway, the use of these nets, combined with sonar detection of shoals, left the herring shoals with almost no chance of escape. The fishery was closed in the 1970's.' from Stornoway - A Quick Tour Around The Town's Past, The Stornoway Trust.
Current - Fish still play a very important role in the current economy of the island with the focus now on aquaculture - fish farming. Aquaculture has been the fastest growing food production sector in the world, with an average growth rate of 4-6% per year since the millenium. Global aquaculture has increased by 40% since 2000, and currently provides around 50% of the world's seafood for human consumption.
Scotland is one of the three largest producers of farmed Atlantic salmon in the world along with Norway and Chile, and the largest producer in the European Union. Key export markets include France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. The USA became the number one export market for farmed salmon in 2009. The provision of jobs in remote and rural areas is a key benefit and salmon production supports about 870 full-time and 960 part-time jobs in Scotland.
The geography and climate of the Western Isles, allied to the cold northern waters which are warmed by the Gulf Stream, provide for a rich and diverse fishery around the island. Salmon farming requires access to both salt and fresh water and the pollution-free sea lochs of the islands are ideal for this activity. Atlantic salmon farming is an established industry and a key employment sector in the Outer Hebrides and the area is the third largest regional producer of salmon in Scotland.
The industry has evolved considerably from its establishment as a widespread small scale business in the 1970's to one which is now led by a relatively small number of operators farming a lesser number of large sites with automated equipment and competing in a global market-place. The shellfish farming industry (primarily mussel and oyster farming) while small in comparison, is also a developing sector of the aquaculture industry in the islands. There are currently 45 active salmon fish farms around the island comprising smolt sites and marine sites, with most of the production sites along the east coast of the island and a cluster on the west side at Loch Roag.
In 2010, in the Western Isles, 195 on-farm staff produced 24,000 tonnes of salmon (an average of 124 tonnes per employee) with a mean weight of 9.5lbs (4.3kgs) per salmon - 60% is sold as fresh produce, with the remainder either smoked or processed in other forms; and the industry supported a further 170 jobs in processing, marketing and distribution.
Aquaculture in the Hebrides will remain a vitally important industry and could potentially change in location and scale as improvements in technology allows it to move to more exposed waters.
Shellfish species also support valuable fisheries in Scotland, and abundant high quality shellfish are found in the Minch Seas with shellfish accounting for 95% (3,700 tonnes) of weight of all fish landed on the island in 2008. Shellfish represent almost 33% of the value of all fish landings in Scotland, with prawns being the main species caught, followed by crabs, scallops, and lobsters.
The Scottish prawn fishery is now the main fishing activity in the north-west of Scotland and it is the most valuable fishery in the region with many local communities dependant upon it. The fishery used to be a mixed species one, in which vessels landed a significant weight in whitefish, in addition to prawns. However, the growing reliance on shellfish by the Stornoway fleet marks a trend that is observed in the national fleet. For Stornoway this has now occurred to the point where demersal (cod, haddock, monkfish, whiting and saithe) and pelagic (herring, mackerel) fish species are no longer targeted.
With a general decline in fish stocks the fishery throughout Scotland has virtually become dependant on prawns alone. There are important fishing grounds to the west of the Hebrides for both demersal fish species, such as anglerfish, and for pelagic species, especially mackerel, and these are typically exploited by vessels from the Scottish east coast or from other European countries. However, fishing effort has decreased significantly since 2000 due to continuing restrictions on fishing activity in order to promote stock recovery.
The Outer Hebrides and Stornoway fleet is now composed solely of inshore shellfish vessels targeting prawns, crabs and lobsters around the islands and throughout the Minch. Most inshore vessels operate on a one day basis within 18 miles (30 kms) of Stornoway, but the largest of these vessels may be out for more than 3 days fishing over 60 miles (100 kms) from the harbour while remaining within 14 miles (22 kms) of the coast.
In 2008 the Stornoway fleet comprised 28 vessels of varying size (min size <10 mtrs; max size <25 mtrs) and, of these, 21 were dedicated solely to catching prawns with the remainder fishing for crabs, lobster and scallops.
Increasingly the market for Stornoway prawns and other shellfish is Continental Europe. Tailed prawns landed are processed locally for the United Kingdom scampi market although there is a trend towards targeting larger prawns and retaining these on-board the vessel whole, for fresh and frozen export to both the mainland and Europe. In 2008 the fishery in the islands supported 400 full-time jobs with another 250 people employed in processing and other ancillary activities.
Historical - Stornoway developed as the economic heart of the island because of its prime advantage in having a superb natural harbour which is over one square mile in extent, and which can be entered in almost any state of wind or tide. The name Stornoway is derived from the Norse for "anchor bay".
Thus, more than one thousand years ago, Stornoway evolved as an important base and staging post in the sea-borne Viking empire. The Norse supremacy ended in 1265 when the island was integrated into the Kingdom of Scotland. In the latter part of the sixteenth century a report to the King stated, amongst other things, that the island had a superabundance of fish.
Over the next two centuries the development of the fishing industry became the main impetus for the gradual development and improvement of Stornoway harbour. The census of 1763 showed that 500 men and 50 boats were employed in fishing from Stornoway. The boats, however, were not suitable for deep sea fishing and the herring fishery stagnated until the introduction of the larger boat, the 'Anstrutherach' in the mid-nineteenth century.
The island was surrounded by rich herring and white fish grounds and the harbour was strategically positioned facing the ports of Kyle of Lochalsh (65 miles), and Mallaig (85 miles) on the Scottish mainland. In the 1870's Stornoway was recognised as the major herring port of Britain - if not Europe. What made its position of cardinal importance in the herring industry was the uniqueness of its long season when compared to other fishing regions around the British Isles. Fishing was continuous for ten or eleven months of the year, and although the herring industry was centred on Stornoway many crofters from around the island relied on herring and white fish catches for their main income. The importance of fish for income grew until the early 1900's when its economic value outweighed its food value for the local population. In the summer months, at the height of the season, Stornoway's population tripled from 3,000 to nearly 9,000 people, made up of fishermen, herring gutters, packers, fish curers, coopers, carters, and labourers.
'The zenith of the herring fishery was between 1900 and World War 1 when the steam drifter became the main means of catching herring. Almost all the locally owned boats now had decking, rather than being open like the traditional sgoth, and some used steam hauling gear to deal with their sails and nets.
However, the First World War dealt a devastating blow to the Hebridean herring fishery. The islands lost more than one thousand men who were killed or severely injured in the fighting, and in the sinking of the Iolaire on New Year's Day 1919. Many fishing boats became unusable during the years of war. As peace dawned, there were no longer sales to the vast overseas markets of Russia - which had become the USSR following the triumph of the Communists - and in economically-stricken Germany. The fishery continued on a smaller scale and had to suffer illegal trawling by boats from Aberdeen, Fleetwood and other big mainland ports.
During World War Two, fishing continued from Stornoway with boats coming from as far as Fife for up to 16 weeks at a time. However, national eating habits were changing and herring was no longer sought after. Commercially, Stornoway found itself unable to compete with mainland ports like Mallaig. As numbers of herring being caught fell, systems for catching them improved - from drifters, to ringnetters, to trawlers and finally, in the 1960's, the purse seine or purse net. Designed originally in Norway, the use of these nets, combined with sonar detection of shoals, left the herring shoals with almost no chance of escape. The fishery was closed in the 1970's.' from Stornoway - A Quick Tour Around The Town's Past, The Stornoway Trust.
Current - Fish still play a very important role in the current economy of the island with the focus now on aquaculture - fish farming. Aquaculture has been the fastest growing food production sector in the world, with an average growth rate of 4-6% per year since the millenium. Global aquaculture has increased by 40% since 2000, and currently provides around 50% of the world's seafood for human consumption.
Scotland is one of the three largest producers of farmed Atlantic salmon in the world along with Norway and Chile, and the largest producer in the European Union. Key export markets include France, Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. The USA became the number one export market for farmed salmon in 2009. The provision of jobs in remote and rural areas is a key benefit and salmon production supports about 870 full-time and 960 part-time jobs in Scotland.
The geography and climate of the Western Isles, allied to the cold northern waters which are warmed by the Gulf Stream, provide for a rich and diverse fishery around the island. Salmon farming requires access to both salt and fresh water and the pollution-free sea lochs of the islands are ideal for this activity. Atlantic salmon farming is an established industry and a key employment sector in the Outer Hebrides and the area is the third largest regional producer of salmon in Scotland.
The industry has evolved considerably from its establishment as a widespread small scale business in the 1970's to one which is now led by a relatively small number of operators farming a lesser number of large sites with automated equipment and competing in a global market-place. The shellfish farming industry (primarily mussel and oyster farming) while small in comparison, is also a developing sector of the aquaculture industry in the islands. There are currently 45 active salmon fish farms around the island comprising smolt sites and marine sites, with most of the production sites along the east coast of the island and a cluster on the west side at Loch Roag.
In 2010, in the Western Isles, 195 on-farm staff produced 24,000 tonnes of salmon (an average of 124 tonnes per employee) with a mean weight of 9.5lbs (4.3kgs) per salmon - 60% is sold as fresh produce, with the remainder either smoked or processed in other forms; and the industry supported a further 170 jobs in processing, marketing and distribution.
Aquaculture in the Hebrides will remain a vitally important industry and could potentially change in location and scale as improvements in technology allows it to move to more exposed waters.
Shellfish species also support valuable fisheries in Scotland, and abundant high quality shellfish are found in the Minch Seas with shellfish accounting for 95% (3,700 tonnes) of weight of all fish landed on the island in 2008. Shellfish represent almost 33% of the value of all fish landings in Scotland, with prawns being the main species caught, followed by crabs, scallops, and lobsters.
The Scottish prawn fishery is now the main fishing activity in the north-west of Scotland and it is the most valuable fishery in the region with many local communities dependant upon it. The fishery used to be a mixed species one, in which vessels landed a significant weight in whitefish, in addition to prawns. However, the growing reliance on shellfish by the Stornoway fleet marks a trend that is observed in the national fleet. For Stornoway this has now occurred to the point where demersal (cod, haddock, monkfish, whiting and saithe) and pelagic (herring, mackerel) fish species are no longer targeted.
With a general decline in fish stocks the fishery throughout Scotland has virtually become dependant on prawns alone. There are important fishing grounds to the west of the Hebrides for both demersal fish species, such as anglerfish, and for pelagic species, especially mackerel, and these are typically exploited by vessels from the Scottish east coast or from other European countries. However, fishing effort has decreased significantly since 2000 due to continuing restrictions on fishing activity in order to promote stock recovery.
The Outer Hebrides and Stornoway fleet is now composed solely of inshore shellfish vessels targeting prawns, crabs and lobsters around the islands and throughout the Minch. Most inshore vessels operate on a one day basis within 18 miles (30 kms) of Stornoway, but the largest of these vessels may be out for more than 3 days fishing over 60 miles (100 kms) from the harbour while remaining within 14 miles (22 kms) of the coast.
In 2008 the Stornoway fleet comprised 28 vessels of varying size (min size <10 mtrs; max size <25 mtrs) and, of these, 21 were dedicated solely to catching prawns with the remainder fishing for crabs, lobster and scallops.
Increasingly the market for Stornoway prawns and other shellfish is Continental Europe. Tailed prawns landed are processed locally for the United Kingdom scampi market although there is a trend towards targeting larger prawns and retaining these on-board the vessel whole, for fresh and frozen export to both the mainland and Europe. In 2008 the fishery in the islands supported 400 full-time jobs with another 250 people employed in processing and other ancillary activities.