RJ MacLeod have had a fortnight off, between 19th December and 5th January, so the overnight ferry berth works are on hold, and the crane was lowered for the fortnight. Typically, it has been the calmest and driest weather for months over Christmas and New Year, while works have been stopped, and the snow has arrived for them restarting! We hoped that the piling would be complete by Christmas, but there is still a couple of days work piling to be done before the work is complete. The next phase will then be to dig out the existing circular cells to allow the new face to be tied into the existing structure.
The Caralisa continued to land Sprats throughout December, but the other local boats were mostly up North fishing, so it has been quiet in terms of landings. Towards the end of December, two new vessels arrived from the Oban area, the Atlantia, and Lady Nicola. Both are participating in a trial using electrofishing to dive for Razor Clams. The trial originally began in 2018, and was due to complete at the end of January 2025, but was then extended to 2027. Electrofishing is seen by some as a contentious method for catching razor clams, and is banned within the EU, but the Scottish Government are keen to see whether a sustainable fishery is possible, and the vessels participating in the trial are limited to 110 days per year. If you see a small fishing boat that you don’t recognise close in to the shore, particularly in sandy areas, then it’s likely that it is one of these vessels, with the divers in the water.
It’s the time of year when Scottish Sea Fisheries Statistics are published, and the statistics for 2024 are now available on the Scottish Government’s website. These split the country into 18 port districts, so are not directly comparable with landings through just Mallaig Harbour, but still make for interesting reading. As in previous years, Peterhead and Shetland are the most significant ports in terms of both value and volume of landings. Peterhead is away out in front, with 216,265 tonnes landed, valued at £248.7 million. Landings into the Mallaig district in 2024 were very similar to 2023, at 1,807 tonnes, by far the majority of which was shellfish (1,347 tonnes). Landings were valued at £7.206 million. While this sounds like a lot, it actually placed Mallaig 14th of the 18 port districts, with Portree and Oban districts both landing more by value.
Mallaig’s Lifeboat returned from its overhaul in December. The relief boat is heading to Tobermory next, but not until mid-January, so we have had both in the Harbour for the last few weeks. They tied alongside one another on the pontoons to swap over equipment, which made for a good photo opportunity!
We’ve had a busy, and varied year at the Harbour, so I thought it might be worth summarising some of the highlights from each month:
January: John MacPhie joined us as Deputy Harbour Master. We took ownership of Unit 15, (formerly Andy Race’s)
February: We had the largest single landing of the year, from the Banff registered ‘Venture’.
March: We began the process of demolishing the old Denholms Ice Plant, and signed a contract to install solar panels on the feed shed.
April: The new pontoon fingers were installed and the works to install a shower for visiting fishermen in the Prawn Market were completed. We awarded £4,600 of community funding to local community groups under the first of our formalised application process for funds.
May: Works to strengthen the pillars beneath ‘Jary’s Wharf’ were completed. The lighthouse was painted and the new solar system installed. The FSV Scotia arrived to start sea trials.
June: The solar panels were installed on the feed shed, although the wiring was not completed and they didn’t begin generating until later in the year! We hosted our AGM in the West Highland Hotel.
July: The Eda Frandsen and Provident were back in Mallaig for the summer season. The TS Shtandart was anchored off Mallaig and then at Knoydart, creating a bit of media interest. The vessel is subject to sanctions, having been built in Russia, and was on its way to participate in the Tall Ships race in Aberdeen, but was subsequently refused entry to Aberdeen.
August: Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport visited the Harbour to announce the award of Transport Scotland funding for the overnight ferry berth. Milligan Transport’s new cargo vessel, Miss Marley, arrived.
September: September felt like a month of celebrations, with the Marina Fun Day on the 6th, the naming ceremony for the FSV Scotia on the 10th, and RJ MacLeod beginning works on the overnight ferry berth at the end of the month!
October: It was back down to earth when Storm Amy blew the canopy off one of the high tower lights, and caused damage to the pontoon. We had to undertake emergency repair works to a scour hole on the ferry linkspan berth, which resulted in the Coruisk having to relocate for two nights, and no ferry service to Skye.
November: Work continued on the overnight ferry berth, with piling works being the most obvious sign of progress. The first landing of Sprats was on 18th November. We hosted the first AGM of the Sound of Sleat Ferry User’s Group.
December: December has felt like a lot of background work, putting in place the foundations for next year’s projects and progress!
The Ronja Commander was back in the Harbour over New Year, and after no display last year, the fireworks display to bring in the New Year was back, bigger and better than ever! There’s a short video of part of the display on our Facebook page for those who are interested.
Jacqueline McDonell
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