Harbour News - January 2019
Mallaig HarbourNews: January 2019
Projects for2019
This new year will herald the completion of two projectsthat have been bubbling away for the past few months.
The Passenger Ferry Access – which will replace the steps– will be in situ by the time the February 2019 issue of West Word hits thestreets. Contractors Gael Force Ltd willbe on site on the 8th of January, will begin lifting in the guideson the 11th, the pontoons on the 14th and the accessramps and bridges on the 16th January.
Mallaig Harbour Ice plant is due to arrive in Mallaig midJanuary. The Ice Plant which consists oftwo 40’ containers one on top of the other will then be assembled, commissionedand become operational early in February 2019.
Poem
It’s been a dismal end to what has been a dismal year forour fishermen with not even an end of year boost for the sprat trawlers. There’s been no sprat landings (so far) thiswinter.
It all adds to the doom & gloom as it’s fair to say thatsince October 2017 – a total of 14 months – the prawn fishing in the SouthMinch has been poor, the usually abundant grounds providing sparse return forthe effort and fuel expended by the skippers.
One could argue that the fishing industry in Mallaig is atit’s lowest ebb ever, certainly within living memory and its extremely worryingwith only a handful of fishing boats left in the port. Not so long ago Mallaig used to boast over 40locally owned vessels employing up to 160 (mostly) local men eager to put tosea and eager to get the rewards. Itwould seem that a way of life is fading away before our very eyes.
Tommy Ralston, an ex fisherman, prawn buyer and LifeboatCoxswain, who sadly passed away last year, wrote a book entitled Captains andCommanders which contained this nostalgic poem also called Captains andCommanders. Read it please and ponder!
Robert MacMillan
CEO
01687 462154