​Tuna fishery licence to bring new opportunity

​This will allow Mr Campbell to land three tonnes of quota. Crucially, the licence will allow landings at Leverburgh rather than being restricted to Stornoway, as was the case two years ago when he previously secured a licence.

Landing into Leverburgh, said Mr Campbell, will open up fishing to the west of the Hebrides where the tuna are of a higher quality. This in turn will make them more marketable to top outlets within the UK and as far away as Japan.

With the season opening on July 1st and running until the end of the year, the UK Marine Management Organisation has just issued 15 commercial vessel licence authorisations, with quota divided equally. Only rod and reel fishing gear is permitted.

Demand for licences from around the UK was described as “exceptionally high” and, although no list has been published, it is thought that Mr Campbell’s is the only one in Scotland.

He told the Gazette: “Landing at Leverburgh gives us the opportunity to work out west and we are hoping to get a better quality of fish than was accessible when we could only land at Stornoway.

“It has to be of very good quality to send it abroad. We are looking at local and UK markets and have plans set up to go as far as Tokyo. We had it all set up last year but unfortunately didn’t get a licence”.

Mr Campbell, who also runs Kilda Cruises, now operates the vessel “Harmony” which can carry up to 12 passengers and is also used for angling trips. It was “probably the first vessel fitted out by Murdo Kennedy in Marvig Boatyard” and is ideally suited for both its roles.

The UK has taken a cautious approach to the development of a tuna fishery on conservation grounds and until now it has been centred mainly in the south-west of England.

Overfishing of the North Sea killed off the industry on the east coast. International conservation measures as well as the influences of climate change have brought tuna back into UK waters and there is general agreement with conservation bodies that a commercial fishery is possible so long as it is carefully managed.

Duncan Macinnes, secretary of the Western Isles Fishermen’s Association, welcomed Mr Campbell’s success in securing a licence.

He said: “We have been saying for years that there is potential for a well-managed tuna fishery in the Outer Hebrides which could have a real economic impact.

“This is an important step towards that and the fact that landings can take place at Leverburgh as well as Stornoway is a really significant development”.