Tha buidhnean glèidhteachais a' dol a mharbhadh an iasgaich, le Murray MacLeòid

Chan e an seòrsa duine a tha ann an Dòmhnall Mac’Illeinein a bhios a’ bruidhinn a-mach gu h-àbhaisteach. ‘S e fheàrr leis-san sàmhchair na mara agus a bhith aig stiùir a’ bhàta-clèibh aige, “Valhalla”, an t-ainm a bh’ air a’ phàrras a bha a’ feitheamh nan cathach Lochlannach às deidh dhaibh am bàs fhaighinn.

Am bàta-clèibh ‘Valhalla’. Tha na thuirt an MSC mu dheidhinn crùbagan is giomaich a’ cur cosnaidhean ann an cunnart.

[English-language version below]

Ach, thug rud a thàinig a-mach gu poblach bho chionn ghoirid air Dòmhnall fhèin a dhol air a chasan: bha a chosnadh, a dhòigh-beatha, an rud a tha na mheadhan dha taic a chur ri theaghlach, fo chunnart.

Fhad ‘s a bha e ag èisteachd ri Reidio na h-Alba an t-seachdain a chaidh, chuala e rud air na naidheachdan a chur na thuathail e: gum bu chòir do dhaoine crùbagan is giomhaich a sheachnadh ‘s na h-àireamhan aca a’ dol sìos.

Ciamar a ghabhas sin a bhith, smaoinich e leis fhèin. Tha iomairtean glèidhteachais air a bhith ann airson an stuic thairis 20 bliadhna, le taic agus aonta bho Riaghaltas na h-Alba, agus tha fianais gu leòr ann gu bheil na h-àireamhan fallain.

Bha dùil ri riochdaire bho Chomann Gleidhteachais na Mara air a’ phrògram airson mìneachadh carson a bha iad ag iarraidh air luchd-ceannach giomaich is crùbagan an iar a sheachnadh.

Smaoinich Dòmhnall gum bu chòir dha cuideigin a dhol air agus an dealbh fìrinneach a thoirt seachad, agus mì-chofhurtail ‘s gun robh e, sin a rinn e. Chuir na chuala e an fhearg air, agus ‘s beag an t-iongnadh.

Thuirt an tè bhon MSC nach robh na co-dhùnaidhean aca stèidhichte air fiosrachadh mionaideach sam bith, dìreach tomhas agus mar a bha iad a’ faicinn cùisean.

Thuirt i – ged a bha i cho ceàrr sa ghabhas – nach robh oidhirp sam bith ga dèanamh na h-àireamhan a dhìon, nach robh “fiosrachadh gu leòr ann” agus le sin “gun robh cùisean a’ gluasad sìos an t-slighe chearr”.

Tha e duilich smaoineachadh càite am bu chòirear tòiseachadh le seo, agus le sin, b’ fheàrr fhàgail aig Dòmhnall fhèin.

“Tha sinne air a bhith a’ cur air adhart oidhirpean glèidhteachais airson 20 bliadhna a-nis,” thuirt e. “Tha riaghailtean timcheall chlèibh, chan fhaodar ach meudachd shònraichte a ghlacadh, rud a tha a-nis air feadh Alba, agus tha cuid a sgìrean dùinte airson pàirtean dhen bhliadhna. Chan eil idir fìor a ràdh nach eil oidhirpean glèidhteachais ann.

“Tha na thuirt an MSC a’ cur nan dusan de dh’obraichean air an iar agus anns na h-eileanan ann an cunnart. Bidh sinne a’ reic ri luchd-turais agus daoine eile. An tig iad a cheannach bhuainne a-nis? Tha e dìreach cho tàmailteach.”

Thuirt an MSC gun robh iad air beachdan iarraidh, ach as aonais fiosrachaidh mhionaidich – rud a tha iad ag aideachadh nach robh aca – a bheil e ceart a bhith a’ toirt breithneachadh mar seo a chuireas iomadach cosnadh, agus na teaghlaichean a tha an urra riutha, ann an cunnart?

Tha daoine mar Dòmhnall agus an dithis a tha còmhla ris air a’ bhàta a’ fàs gann: eileanaich a tha fhathast strì ri beò-shlàinnt a dheànamh à iasgach, rud a bha aig aon àm mar chnaimh-droma dhan eaconamaidh.

Ach, ‘s e roinn chudromach a tha ann fhathast agus nuair a tha buidhnean mar an MSC a’ cur a-mach rudan a tha a’ feuchainn ri buaidh a thoirt air a’ mhargaidh, chan eil e mì-reusanta smaoineachadh gun tig sin a dhèanamh bho bhunait a tha fìor agus susbainteach.

Chan e sin idir a thachair an seo. Ach, dè th’ ann an iasgair an siud ‘s an seo an aghaidh na cumhachd a tha aig na buidhnean mòra glèidhteachais.

Fios bhon neach-deasachaidh:

Tapa leibh airson an aithris a tha seo a leughadh. Tha sinn an eismeil ur taic nas motha na bha riamh agus buaidh a’ Choronbhirus air buaidh a thoirt air luchd sanasachd. Mur eil sibh air a dhèanamh mar-tha, ma se ur toil, nach beachdaich sibh taic a chumail ri ar obair-naidheachd earbsach, a tha sinn a’ dearbhadh a tha fìor, le bhith toirt a-mach ballrachd digiteach.

Donald MacLennan is not someone to normally court the limelight, preferring instead the relative solitude of life on the ocean wave on board his 10-metre creel boat, “Valhalla”, the name given to the after-life paradise that awaited slain Viking warriors.

But a recent public pronouncement spurred him to act and adopt a more adversarial approach. Little wonder: his living, his very way of life, his means of supporting his family were all put under threat. And all on a completely baseless prophecy.

While listening to BBC Radio Scotland last week, the mild-mannered fisherman from the Outer Hebrides was sent into a state of discombobulation as he tried to make sense of the headline that consumers were being advised to avoid eating crab and lobsters from the west coast, along with other species, as their stocks were dwindling.

How could this possibly be, he thought to himself. Conservation measures have been adopted for the last 20 years, with the support of the Scottish Government through its Marine Scotland arm, and there is now ample evidence of stocks being healthy. But now, seemingly, it all counts for nothing.

An interview with a representative from the Marine Conservation Society was promised on Radio Scotland in order to provide more of an explanation on why crab and lobster, in particular, had been added to the list of seafood to now avoid.

Donald felt someone had to provide a bit of perspective and thought he would shake off his natural reticence to go on air. His worst fears were confounded.

The MSC representative conceded their justification was not based on any hard evidence, more a kind of sense of things and an assumption.

They insisted – completely erroneously – that there were “no management regimes in place”; there was “not enough data” on numbers and therefore assumed it “was moving in the wrong direction”.

Quite where to start with this is difficult to make out, but best let Donald speak for himself as he did so well on the programme.

“We have been promoting practical management now for 20 years,” he said. “We have a pot-limitation scheme, we increased minimum landing sizes, which has now been adopted across Scotland, and we work seasonal closures to protect certain areas. It’s simply patently not true that there is no management on the west coast of Scotland.

“This announcement by the MSC has the potential to impact dozens of businesses down the west coast and certainly in the Western Isles, where we sell direct to tourists and other customers. Will they now buy from us? It’s just so demoralising.”

The MSC said they went out to consultation on the matter, but in the absence of hard data, as they themselves admit, is it acceptable to then pronounce definitively on an issue which threatens the livelihoods of hard-working families all down the west coast?

Donald, and his two-man crew, are now in a minority: those still struggling to maintain a living from the sea, where it was once the economic backbone of many a rural community.

But it still represents an important sector and when bodies such as the MSC make sweeping public pronouncements that are intended to influence consumer choice, it’s not unreasonable to expect them to do so with a clear understanding of the reality.

But, then, what’s the odd fisherman, when up against the might of the conservation lobby?