Background to Fishing in the area and its heritage.

Fishing and Crofting have always been at the root of Island Culture.  It has been traditional for local residents to manage both the sea and the land at the same time, and, by harvesting both, sustain a living. In the late 1700s it was recognised that help was required to develop the industry and sustain small communities.   New villages were constructed like Kintra on the north west tip of the Ross of Mull as well as fishing stations and piers.  The 5th Duke of Argyll helped to promote the fishing industry, and tried to provide an income for himself and his tenants through fishing. Fishing communities at Creich and Catchean nearby to Kintra were also developed. In the mid to late 1800s bad management, transport difficulties and the distance to the markets the scheme failed. The nearby Tormore and Deargphort quarries  then provided employment for the village people. When the quarries closed families emigrated and some were evicted. In the 1920s only 2 people lived at Kintra. The village is now repopulated with a few local families.
Salmon stations using nets was another seasonal fishing activity carried out around the  Mull coastline employing a number of seasonal workers in the summer months. In the 1990s for a variety of reasons the stocks decreased and at the same time the market was depressed with the arrival of cheaper fish farmed salmon making the traditional fisheries uneconomical. Sadly there are no working stations now.  Time moves on, and now Fish Farming is a vital 'economic driver' on the island, providing many vital jobs for young people.
The main fishing on the Ross of Mull, Ulva Ferry and Tobermory is now is commercial shell fishing with baited traps(creels) for lobsters (homarus gamarus), edible brown crabs( cancer pagurus), Prawn (Norwegian Lobster) and velvet swimming crab (necora puber) Scallop dredgers and Prawn trawlers also operate from both ends of the island, dragging the seabed for their catch Before the late 1960s shell fishing with creels was generally carried out on a seasonal or part time basis allied to crofting, farming or another shore based job. Small boats today still operate this way.
In these days generally only lobsters were caught in season around the coast and then transported “dry” to Oban or Mallaig, very often by the fishermen themselves on their own vessels. Eventually some of the lobsters would land in Billingsgate with the fishermen often standing the loss of the deaths before arrival at market. The creels used then were generally made by the local fishermen. Fish box wood formed the  base, hazel wood formed the frame, which was then covered with knitted, tarred twine. The creel was weighted with a flat stone. It was baited with small fish caught with hand lines. The boats used were small open day boats with oars or small inboard engines and the creels were mostly hand hauled. In the early 1970s a few local inshore shell fishermen went fulltime and larger 40 foot Lobster and crabbing vessels were built to exploit not only lobster but deeper water crab fisheries in summer and winter, creating an all year round fishing activity. These boats employ up to 4 or 5 men most of the year , the boats work 7 days a week
In the 1980s small inshore boats also expanded a new velvet crab fishery for markets in Spain and France. These boats had a fast outboard engine and a petrol creel hauler allowing the fisherman to haul many creels in a day dramatically improving efficiency. A further labour saving and safety measure method recently employed is a self shooting table, where the crew are not involved with throwing the creels into the water, this is done automatically and the fishermans feet and legs are kept away from the outgoing ropes. To allow the transport of “live” shell fish “vivier” lorries were introduced. These are specially adapted container lorries where lobsters, crabs, velvet crabs, and Norwegian lobsters or prawns are kept alive by passing oxygen through holding tanks of water keeping the catch alive all the way to France and Spain. Monday mornings at Fionnphort and Bunessan piers there is great activity when the catch is landed and loaded into the lorries. It is well worth a look!
From August to November edible brown crab is landed by the larger vessels at Fionnphort in the evening on a daily basis and is transported to processing plants on the mainland by a local business. Around 20 fishing vessels employing directly and indirectly 40 plus men and women including ancillary services in a working population of approximately 100.40 ft vessels working up to 40 miles offshore in the summer months for crab and lobster  to 19ft single manned day boats working velvet crabs and lobster around the shoreline. Also medium sized vessels fishing in the sea lochs in the deeper water for Norwegian lobster locally known as prawn, a high value catch. One vessel dredges for scallops another highly sought commodity.
Fish and shellfish is now beginning to be sold by a local person  delievered  from the quay to hotels, restaurants and guest houses creating another seasonal job. A local firm supports the industry manufacturing modern steel creels to the fisherman s particular design also creating more employment ashore. Fishing is a vital mainstay of the Ross of Mull economy and in the years to come challenges lie ahead for the local community, fishing organisations and government in the way of allowing the fishery to be sustained in the future for the next generation while maintaining a present day living. Article by John Noddings of fionnphort