Uist fears that fishermen may quit

Fishermen are now looking to leave the industry.

A “major impact on confidence”, brought to a head by the HPMA threat, is already undermining the viability of fishing businesses in the islands with imminent fears of fishermen giving up or moving elsewhere.

The warning came this week from Hector Stewart, owner of Kallin Shellfish, the successful processing business based at Grimsay, North Uist.

He said that uncertainty created in recent months is forcing people to consider their future and he feared for the outcomes.

Mr Stewart said: “It really does feel that they want to see the end of fishing altogether. It’s not just the HPMAs.

"There are all the other designations that are coming down the tracks. Someone is on the fishermen’s backs all the time. They are being squeezed into smaller and smaller areas.

“They watch where we are working and then they target these areas with designations. The HPMAs are high profile now but there are other things happening all the time which make it very difficult for fishermen to work”.

In January, the Gazette revealed charts prepared by NatureScot, quite separate from HPMAs, which proposed exclusions from key scallop fishing grounds under the designation “Priority Marine Features”.

These included all the waters round Scalpay, Lochmaddy Bank and Lochboisdale. Mr Stewart said at that time: “We just can’t live with that”.

According to the charts, large sea areas which are not currently subject to environmental designations have been “suggested” by NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) as “PMFs”, quite separate from the HPMA process. There is also pressure for stronger enforcement in existing Marine Protection Areas.

Regarding the promise that HPMAs will not be imposed on communities that don’t want them, Mr Stewart said: “I don’t think any community wants them. I don’t think anyone trusts these assurances at all when we see what else they are pushing ahead with”.

Mr Stewart said: “I feel the islands are in a much, much worse position than they were ten years ago.

"On top of all that there is the ferry situation. People and goods can’t get on or off. I don’t think there is any understanding that we can’t run a business on that basis”.