Fishing in Tong 1950/60s

Angus Macleod of 14 Aird Tong on his way home with a fine sample of the Broad Bay flounders. Photographed in 1947.

From the age of 13, my pals and I earned a few shillings untangling small lines and baiting hooks for one of the village fishing boat. At that time, there were a couple of the Tong boats fishing for haddock between Tong and Tolsta Head.

We worked every weekday after school and we had a double dose of nets on Saturday. There was plenty fish in An Loch a Tuath then. The boat landed 20 boxes of haddock a day and the catchers came down to the shore at An Loddan to buy it. Willie Poshan and Calum Six were the main catchers. I remember for a while there were two boats coming in and that meant 40 boxes landed every day, that was more than was landed at Stornoway at that time.

Eventually Loch a Tuath was over fished with bigger boats coming in from the East Coast and the Tong men had to sell the boats. But Angaidh Wymess kept the Hope fishing for crabs and lobster with just one crew man. There were village boats at An Loddan until Brevig Harbour was built. Indeed, a couple of boats were lost at An Loddan in bad weather. 

The herring was landed mostly in Stornoway and in Lochs. I remember Rob an Deucoin with a horse and cart coming from Stornoway, selling herring around the doors. 

Roddy Maciver, Tong, Recorded 2022