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Shellfish resources in the Inner Hebrides

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 July 2012

James Mason ,
R. G. J. Shelton ,
J. Drinkwater  and
F. G. Howard
James Mason
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DB
R. G. J. Shelton
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DB
J. Drinkwater
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DB
F. G. Howard
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DB
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Synopsis

Shellfish fishing, traditionally associated with crofting areas, has expanded greatly in Scotland generally, and particularly in the Inner Hebrides, during the past 30 years. Landings from Inner Hebrides waters in 1979 were valued at about £11 millions. Processing factories and storage installations have facilitated marketing.

The seas around the Inner Hebrides provide a wide variety of habitats, from the fine mud necessary for Norway lobsters, through the sandy gravel on which scallops live, to the rocky sea bed inhabited by lobsters.

The most valuable fisheries, those for Norway lobsters and scallops, are post-war developments. In both, the stocks appear to be in a healthy state. Landings in the traditional lobster fishery have declined recently and the stocks are giving some cause for concern. Periwinkles and queens make useful contributions to the economy. Pink shrimps and squat lobsters, though not sufficiently abundant to support a directed fishery, form a useful, occasional by-catch. Squids are caught sporadically, but their availability is very variable. The crab stocks could stand much greater exploitation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 83: The Natural Environment of the Inner Hebrides , 1983 , pp. 599 - 610
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1983

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References

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