It’s been another mixed month of weather, but a bit more activity on the fishing side. On Thursday 21st March we had gales which brought 11 visiting fishing vessels as well as three local boats into the Harbour. It’s the busiest we have seen it for a good few years, and as I write this quite a few of them are back in, having landed again. There are more gales forecast for the weekend, so the Harbour will be full again.
Seafish are undertaking a series of consultation events on the current and future management of Nephrops fisheries in the North Sea and waters around the west coast of Scotland. These are to support the development of Fisheries Management Plans for these areas. An event will be held in the Harbour Building meeting room on Friday 12th April from 6pm-8pm. Seafish want to hear from anyone with an interest in Nephrops fisheries and their management, and no prior registration is required – just come along to the meeting.
The congestion in the Harbour is compounded by having the Loch Fyne and Loch Bhrusda back, and berthing overnight in the Outer Harbour. It’s great to see the ferries operational again, although a bit disappointing that we have once again started the season without the Coruisk. We are expecting the Coruisk back on Friday 5th April, but then she is being redeployed from the 14th April until the 11th May to cover the Oban-Craignure run. During this period, we will also lose the Lochboisdale sailing, as the service will be running to Oban instead. This has already generated some negative press, as many local businesses are having bookings cancelled as potential visitors to the area have to rearrange their holiday plans. The consultation on The Islands Connectivity Plan and Vessels and Ports Plan is still open for another month – until 3rd May, so this is a good opportunity to make your voice heard if you have strong views about the ferry services. To access the consultation, search for Islands Connectivity Plan on www.transport.gov.scot.
Some of our Board Members accompanied me to Portree on 19th March to attend an event organised by HIE and Lochaber Chamber of Commerce bringing people together to discuss their vision for the West Coast, including Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross. It was an interesting day, and great to see how other businesses such as Kishorn Port Limited are trying to put the area on the map. As usual, affordable housing was top of the list of concerns for people, and the impact that the lack of housing has on attracting new staff to the area. One of the speakers was Catherine MacLeod, who is originally from Mallaig and who has been a political journalist and Political Advisor, most notably to Alistair Darling in the Treasury during the financial crash. She was urging businesses to make Westminster aware of the issues and challenges faced in the West Coast, so hopefully this event will be the start of a process to do this with a united voice. There was a lot of discussion in the afternoon about the opportunities that could arise from the Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, and how the West Coast can benefit from these, as well as how to harness the benefits from offshore wind licences. As a Harbour, we need to be able to recognise opportunities and be able to maximise any benefits, which feeds into the work we wanted to do in developing the Outer Harbour.
I had hoped last month to be able to introduce you to our new Deputy Harbour Master. Unfortunately, his start date was delayed, so this will have to wait until next month.
We also received notice this week that the Fishermen’s Mission has taken the decision not to renew the lease on the Mallaig Centre, which will result in there not being facilities available for visiting fishermen. A press release explaining why is published elsewhere in WestWord. This is not entirely unexpected, given the loss of their local staff member at the end of November, a post which has not been readvertised. As with many other organisations, the RNMDSF is having to make tough decisions about how to use limited funds, and has moved away from providing similar centres in other Harbours. In anticipation of this announcement, we have already had a look at whether we might be able to improve the facilities within the Prawn Market, and at least install a shower, and we will work with local fishermen’s organisations over the coming months to establish what demand there is for facilities locally.
This month we also met with MOWI in Fort William after the announcement of changes to the way that the Harvest Station will be operated, which will result in a reduction to the staff employed there. Whilst the consultation period between MOWI and their staff is still ongoing, and they were not able to share details of this, MOWI were able to give reassurances that they remain committed to Mallaig as a base for harvesting salmon in the future.
Finally this month, after the launch of ‘Mallaig Clean’ last month, I was invited back to talk to the children of Mallaig Primary at their assembly, about how the Harbour manages and tries to reduce waste. The children were very knowledgeable about the impact litter can have on the marine environment, and what can be done to help, and are very enthusiastic about the part that they can play in reducing this impact. We are hoping at the Harbour to support the Small Isles with more recycling of beach waste towards the end of the month. The sailing yacht Selkie is going to help access some of the trickier areas of shore around the Small Isles and this waste will then be brought to Mallaig for sorting and recycling.
Jacqueline McDonell