The kingmakers
The KINGMAKERS
SCALLOP RANCHING IN WESTER ROSS
TIM SIDDONS T
he location of many of Scotland’s aquaculture sites can be both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand they provide employment and help sustain the economies of often very remote, rural areas; whilst on the other, they are a nightmare to get to. And so it was with some trepidation that I set off, bleary-eyed at fi ve AM from the city lights of Edinburgh for the fi ve-hour drive to the small fi shing village of Aultbea, in Wester Ross. I was on my way to visit Jane Grant of Scot-Hatch, who farms, or ranches, scallops in the waters of Loch Ewe from her home on the Isle of Ewe. However, there is no argument about the beauty of many of Scotland’s aquaculture
sites, and the long drive to the west coast took me through some of the most scenic countryside. And, as I drove into Aultbea, just as the sun was creeping out from behind the early morning rainclouds, I could see why people are attracted to this stunning, and peaceful, part of the country. However, for most of the people living in these communities, it’s a lifestyle choice.
Even with the growth of aquaculture, jobs are scarce, economies are fragile and people eke out a living the best way they can. When Bristolian Jane Grant moved here with her husband, Willy, over twenty years
ago, they both left behind them relatively secure jobs in the merchant navy to run a croft on the Isle of Ewe. ‘The fi rst thing we did was build the house,’ recalls Jane. ‘Ini- tially we crofted cattle, but back then there was no money in cattle. So Willy worked on the local fi sh farm and, when the boys got to school age, I started scallop farming.’ The decision to farm king scallops was an easy one for Jane. ‘We had a boat, I could dive and we have good, clean water right outside the front door,’ she explains. ‘And you don’t need a great deal of input to get started – all you need is some rope, some buoys and bags. You then apply for a longline licence from the Crown Estate and a Several Order from the Scottish Government. For me the hardest part was getting the Several Order.’ A Several Order, she explains, is a piece of the seabed for the exclusive use of the person who has it for growing whatever they want to grow, whether it’s mussels,
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