arrivals for the period
Whitefish totalled 21,300 boxes from fifteen Scottish trawl, four Anglo freezer netters and a single long-liner. The Scottish lads continue to try their luck at Rockall, where the haddock fishery has been poor this season due to an abundance of low value small fish across all grounds. Thankfully, the higher value bycatch of monkfish and cod makes the trip more viable. A number of trawlers are fishing closer to home along the shelf edge to save money on fuel. Monkfish fishing has been good but is now slowly dropping off. The Anglo freezers continue to work west in the deep water targeting monkfish with reasonable results.
Shellfish efforts continue to be steady with forty-one landings from visiting prawn trawlers combing with the efforts of the resident trawl and creel fleet.
Non-fishing activity was once again predominated by aquaculture; there were twenty-five visits from a variety of vessels for crew, equipment, fuel and stores. In addition, there were seven scheduled cruise liner visits carrying around 6,500 passengers and crew, the majority of whom spent their time in and around the village. The fully restored 1940’s tug Rita arrived from the Mediterranean for a layover, superyacht M&EM called in for fuel and the MCA tug Ievoli Black came in for their monthly crew change.
The biennial boat festival Luggerfest 26 took place from the 22nd-24th May and a fleet of beautiful wooden vessels filled up the pontoons for an action-packed weekend. Shore Quay was alive with stalls, talks, music, fun and laughter for the full three days. The fleet enjoyed perfect sailing conditions with the Stornoway sgoth An Sulaire looking resplendent in full sail storming along west beach. Pictures A. Grant