he has delivered it. The hard work put in by our suppliers is phenomenal and they deserve a bit of limelight.”
Meet the next generation
Kevin Mackinnon of Loch Dunvegan Shellfish is a third-generation shellfish fisherman based on Skye. His grandfather supplied the Three Chimneys when it was first established by Shirley and Eddie Spear 33 years ago, and his father continued the business.
Now a father of two himself, Kevin, 30, is happy to have returned to the island he loves after a career in the Merchant Navy where he travelled the world, followed by a spell working in the North Sea oil industry.
He is based at Loch Dunvegan and works right round the west coast of Skye and up to Loch Snizort with his business partner Steve Morrison. Each has his own boat and a two-man crew to creel-catch fresh prawn, crab and lobster.
It’s a 12-hour day that starts at 6am which in winter – often the most fruitful time for shellfish – means leaving home in the pitch dark. Prawns, his main catch, are plentiful now until around September, as are lobster, and with crab coming on from August, he is super-busy.
He supplies a range of high-end local restaurants, from the Michelin-starred Loch Bay at Stein, Waternish, to the Three Chimneys, Edinbane Lodge, The Old School House and Dunorin House Hotel. “Skye is absolutely booming right now, and demand for our shellfish is higher than ever as the tourist season is longer than ever,” he says.
Fishing is a Perlious Profession
When the weather is rough, the catch can be hurtled towards shore and crushed on the rocks. Last year, they lost about £30,000 worth of creels in this way. “Our biggest challenge is bad weather,” says Kevin, who has always worked at sea.
Through wholesaler DR Collin & Son of Eyemouth, he also supplies mainland restaurants, as well as France, Spain and increasingly the US and China, which is willing to pay three times the price for the best quality produce.
“The price of shellfish hasn’t really gone up here, but the cost of catching it has. We want to continue to work with local businesses as much as possible.”
The creels themselves are hauled up hydraulically to be emptied by hand into the boat and they handle up to 1300 each day. “It’s light work but it’s repetitive and physically stressful,” he says.
“But there isn’t a better job when the weather is warm and calm, and being out in the open and in control of my own destiny is great,” he adds. “However, the summers are short here and the winters long. Our boats aren’t very comfortable, and we don’t have a seat which means we’re standing all day.”
Now he hopes to build more comfortable boats with better facilities and enhanced safety features so he and Steve can stay out longer, get bigger catches, and thus keep all their customers happy.
Article written by Cate Devine, Scottish based food writer @CateDvineWriter (catedevinewriter.com)
Species in Season
