Castlebay Fisheries Project

Historically Castlebay was regarded as an important fisheries port, its hey day being at the height of the herring fishing, when it was said you could walk across the bay on fishing boats.  The legacy of the herring fishery can still be seen in the remains of the many herring stations surounding the bay. 

Times change and Castlebay has long ceased to be an important port for herring, the remianing boats now largely concentrate on creel fishing for crab and lobster.  The main pier in Castlebay is owned by the ferry owners Caledonian MacBrayne and has been adapted in a number of ways to accomodate roll on roll off ferries.  These adaptations have served to make the pier unsuitable for fisheries landings.

When the Vatersay causeway was built a sheltered area was created in its lee, providing an anchorage for the creel boats.  The slip on the causeway became the main landing and fuelling point for the boats.  However the slip is tidal and is exposed to Easterly winds which puts restrictions on its use and makes it less than ideal for the purposes for which it is currently employed.

Castlebay fishermen have therefore spent some years looking at options which might improve the situation and allow them to gain access to landing and fuelling facilities which are not subject to limitations of time and weather.  To date a range of options have been  explored, however until recently no widely accepted plan had come forward. 

In 2005 Arch Henderson were commissioned to provide a plan for a landing berth adjacent to the Vatersay causeway.  The plan utilised an existing structure, which had been created to allow barges to be filled with rock in the course of constructing the causeway.  There is widespread agreement that this plan should be taken forward.

Development

1. Meeting with Development Agencies: In December 2005 a meeting was organised at which the plan for the development of a fisheries facility was discussed.  Several representatives from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (CNES); a representative of Western Isles Enterprise (WIE) and a healthy turn out of fishermen had a constructive meeting at which a number of decisions were made.

• CNES should run with this project.  The development should be taken on by the CNES, which would bring it in line with most of the other major fisheries infrastructure projects across the Western Isles.
• CNES staff would approach the council with a request for funding to allow a further feasibility study to be undertaken in early 2006.
• A group of Castlebay fishermen would visit the CNES commissioned facilities in Harris and the Uists to assess which features would fit most appropriately with the proposed Vatersay development.
• The timing of the development would be determined by the new round of European funding along with the new council building programme.  This would enable development of plans and permissions plus profile raising activities in 2006-2007, with a view to construction in 2008.

 2. Visit to Harris and the Uists: A group of fishermen visited the Comhairle nan Eilean Siar built facilities on Harris and the Uists in late January 2006.  There are a range of types of facility through out these islands and this tour gave the fishermen the opportunity to see which type of facility might be most appropriate to the proposed Vatersay Causeway facility.

3. Feasibility Study: Technical services staff from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar requested funding from the council to undertake a study to provide a cost estimate for proposed fisheries facilities on Barra.  CNES approved the funding request and Arch Henderson were appointed to develop the plans.

4. Arch Henderson Visit: In April 2006 John Carmichael of Arch Henderson visited Barra to view the proposed site and to hear the views of local fishermen, prior to submitting a report to Comhairle nan Eilean Siar.