| 1. Fish location by natural means |
| 1.1. Listening |
| frasadh | the jump of an individual herring. |
| cliucheadh fiataidh | [sic] a herring or other fish’s breaking the surface, a much less distinct sound. |
| na chnapan dearga | means it [i.e. herring] being thickly congregated on the point of breaking into playful practice or movement – reference ‘an t-uamhas dhe cliucheadh [sic]’. |
| goil | the activity of herring, en masse, on the surface. [?] |
| [sgaothbhag (sic)] | [a small shoal?] Caoirnean ag cliuchadh [sic] or sgaothbhag. [NOTES: not clear what is meant here – is ‘sgaothbhag’ meant to be a synonym of ‘caoirnean’? See ‘sgaothag thana’ on the following page meaning ‘a thin shoal’.] |
| caoirnean | a small shoal of herring. Caoirnean ag cliuchadh [sic] – a small shoal of herring playing. |
| mar a gabhadh | a heavy play of herring or mackerel. |
| [sounds of other kinds of fish] | The sounds of other kinds of fish, either breaking the surface individually or playing in shoals: a’ leum, sìnteagan, cliucheadh [sic] am bàrr (am bàrr na mara), a’ cliucheadh [sic] mar abhainn. |
| 1.2. Losgadh / the burning |
| [losgadh] | phosphorescence in the sea. Tha e losgadh roimh sròin (of boat). Chì mi a’ losgadh e. |
| [steall] | E falbh na steall. |
| solus | the first sparks of ‘burning’, in early evening. Tha solus a’ tighinn dha’n mhuir. |
| sgadan losgaidh | individual herring seen in the ‘burning’. |
| sgaothag thana | a thin shoal seen in the burning. |
| cruinn ann dhe | a large shoal seen in the burning. |
| [steall] | Bhuail sinn pliu’ an acair air a bial, ’s chitheadh tu e a’ falbh na steall anns a cholbh-bianain. – the striking of anchor on boat’s rail, forward at the bow, to cause herring to ‘show’ in the phosphorescence. |
| 1.3. Herring-feeding |
| sul dearg | red plankton. |
| tighinn beò air an t-sul | black feeding. |
| 1.4. The gannet / emhsan |
| a’ bualadh | the high vertical plummet of gannet working on herring. |
| a sriuchdadh | the skimming dive of a gannet, perhaps on mackerel or fry on the surface. |
| a’ feitheamh ri bualadh | a gannet’s circling hesitantly. |
| ag sgiathalaich | a gannet’s circling hesitantly. |
| 1.5. Miscellaneous |
| fàileadh an éisg | smell of herring. |
| lìth | oil of herring on surface. |
| liam | oil of herring on surface. |
| batal | cluster of feeding gulls or other sea-birds. |
| [cuir-an-àird] | An anail aige cuir-an-àird (term) – patches of bubbles on surface of sea, caused by expulsion of air from the swim-bladders of herring rising. |
| cnap | general term of reference for a shoal of herring. ‘Cnap’ was used on Scalpay. Not heard of ‘sùil’ so far on Scalpay. |
| sgadan caoich | now here, now there, herring. |
| [barrail] | Bheir sinn ar barrail as. – a piece of the end of a ring net shot, in weather conditions unsuited to listening or looking for herring in the water, with the hope of a few herrings mashing and so encouraging the fishermen to ‘chance’ a ring. |
| [tur] | Nach e tha tur. – for a ring made without any sign of herring whatever. |
| [botha] | Cnap (sgadain) mar botha – similar to a submerged seaweed covered rock. |
| [duslach] | Mar an duslach – a shoal of herring showing black in daylight or at evening. |
| 2. The ring-net |
| 2.1. Its construction |
| lion-cruinn | ring-net. |
| ball-cùil | the back rope. |
| ball-iochdair | the sole-rope. |
| sgiathan | the wings of the net. |
| guaillean | the shoulders of the net. |
| boca | the bags of the net, upper and lower. |
| beartachadh | row of heavy-ply netting, attached along the entire length of the net, top and bottom. |
| àrcannan | the corks. |
| luaitheadh | the lead rings. |
| butaichean | the buoys. |
| beartachadh | the joins of the pieces, e.g. between wing and shoulder netting. |
| cluais | the ends or gables of the ring-net. |
| buill-slaodaidh | the bridle ropes at the end of the net. |
| ball-tobhaidh | the rope – generally termed sweepline – attached to bridle-rope, for towing and closing the net. |
| 2.2. Setting up and mending a ring-net |
| alt | setting up and mending a ring-net. [?] |
| snathadan-lion | netting needle. |
| teanga na snathaide | tongue of needle. |
| sùil | eye or hole of needle. |
| cóm | eag far bi snàth ’na cois. |
| gob | point of needle. |
| [snàth] | Net twine, both tarred and untarred: snàth lion, snàth còcrach, snàth geal, snàth tearraidh. Setting-up twine – different types, thicknesses for sole and back ropes respectively: snàth foighn, snàth garbh, snàth caol, snàth aotram, snàth dùbailt. |
| sgian-càraidh | mending knife. |
| clach-liathra | sharpening-stone. |
| clach ghiarachaidh | sharpening stone. |
| bocsa-snàth | ‘twine-box’, in which were kept needles, hanks of twine, etc. |
| bocsa-shnàthadan | ‘twine-box’, in which were kept needles, hanks of twine, etc. |
| beartachadh | the ‘setting up’ of a net to ropes. |
| beartachadh | the measurement between points of knotting to back-rope. |
| snaimnanan | knots. |
| slat-tomhais | the measuring stick or other device used when setting up. |
| togail | the hanging part of twine and netting – in Eng. drop – once set up. |
| cruinneachadh | the gathering of netting to create bag effect. |
| mogal dùbailte | selvedge or double-meshed edge, for strengthening purposes. |
| alt | ‘fair’ netting, that is the meshes stretched in their ‘natural’ diamond-shaped form. |
| far-alt | netting stretched or lying ‘across the mesh’, that is lying the opposite way, and so, difficult to mend accurately. |
| thogail air alt | ‘hanging’ a net to mend it. |
| càradh | mending. |
| cliuchdair | a net-mender. |
| stracadh | a long split in a net. |
| [ceangail] | Ceangail ri chéile – a meanbh bhristeadh (etc.). The running along a split to search for and ‘catch’ together broken meshes which correspond, so enabling as many fishermen as possible to start mending on a single tear, and so hasten completion of the task. |
| gearradh | cutting the surround of a hole ‘on the leg’, that is at an angle, when shaping netting for repair, so reducing wastage. |
| iomrall | a five-legged mesh knitted in error; a three-legged mesh knitted in error. |
| gròbadh | lacing together a split quickly, to enable fishing to continue. |
| 2.3. The buoy |
| amhaich | the stock of buoy. |
| mullach | the stock of buoy. |
| bung | the plug of buoy. |
| claigeann | the top of buoy. |
| ball-a-phuta | the string by which buoy is attached to back-rope. |
| toll-a’ phuta | the hole in stock through which string is laced. |
| 3. Fishing |
| a’ cur | the shooting of the net. |
| tobhadh | the towing of the net. |
| dùnadh | ‘closing the boats’, the neighbour-boats’ meeting one another having made ring of the net. |
| dol fodha | a bend on end of net, calculated to bear down, on the tidal current, upon a shoal. |
| slaodadh | hauling net. |
| maiseadh | a meshing of herring. |
| crathadh | the shaking of meshed herring clear. |
| moglachadh | an entangled fish. |
| sàs | a net ‘fast’ on seabed. |
| stracadh | a net tearing. |
| [sàs] | Sàs ’s a’ stracadh bharr nam ball neo ròpan. – netting, ‘fast’, and ‘stripping’ from the ropes. |
| còmhnard | when the walls of netting flew into the middle of the ring due to incorrect judgment of the set of tide, or to cross-tides. |
| [taobh] | cuideachd, ri taobh a chéile – the neighbouring boats lying together to discharge herring from bag of net. |
| cumail o chéile | fending off with poles or oars. |
| tàbh-taomaidh | the basket for discharging herring from the net. |
| stopairean | the ropes used for lashing bag to boat’s side prior to discharging herring. |
| toinneamh | a net rolled up about the sole, through having been snagged by shells, coral, etc. |
| laidhigeadh | the hauling of net aft in preparation for re-shooting. |
| tiormachadh-an-àird | the ‘drying up’ of herring in bag. |
| 3.1. Additional equipment |
| fandairean | fenders, whether of rope, rope-and-nets, or rubber tyres. |
| boillsgeadair | light on end of ring-net. |
| cromag | special boat-hook for lifting end of ring-net. |
| caismeachd-soluis | torch, paraffin-fuelled and lit as soon as bag of net was closed, and for summoning herring-buying steamers. |
| luaitheadh | the ‘feeling-wire’. |
| ball-slaodaidh | tow-rope, which linked neighbouring boats when lifting net. |
| solus-rannsachaidh | search-light. |
| sluaisead | herring-scoop. |
| sgiùleachan | [unclear – could be sgùileachan?] shallow ‘spill-baskets’ which preceded the adoption of metal scoops. |
| bùird-an-tuill | dividing boards in skiffs’ holds, for distributing catch. |
| soluis-taoibh | outboard light on wheelhouse. |
| solus-a-chroinn-mhoir | mast-head light. |
| solus-na-uinch | winch-light. |
| solus-cur | ‘shooting-light’. |
| tuil-sholuis | for buying-steamers. |
| 4. Drying and barking of nets |
| slìm | herring slime. |
| tiormachadh | drying net. |
| polaichean-tiomachaidh | net-hanging poles. |
| tigh-cairteach | bark-house. |
| cairt-blogaidh | bark, as originally used. |
| cairt-cheannachd | the later imported substance [i.e. bark]. |
| tuba-cairteach | barking boiler and tub. |
| taomain | baling buckets. |
| lion suas is sios | a long ‘steep’ in catch solution. |
| slaodadh-cabhagach | a quick ‘pull through’ of the net. |
| 5. Herring |
| i làn | a good or extremely good catch of herring. |
| beagan | a poor catch of herring. |
| druaip | a catch of rubbishy, unmarketable fish. |
| sgadan-tiomachaidh | herring split and dried in the sun. |
| sgadan-làn | ‘gut-poke’ herring, that is, herring full of feeding. |
| sgadan beag | small herring. |
| sgadan miosgaichte | mixed herring. |
| duilich a ghlacadh | herring prone to diving, and therefore difficult to net. |
| sgadan athair | herring sluggish and so unlikely to mesh in drift-nets. |
| sgadan malcaidh | herring de-scaled through excessive contact with rain or seawater in hold. |
| 6. Drift netting |
| lion-chlach | drift-nets [sic]. |
| piosan | individual pieces of drift-nets. |
| bàca | back-rope. |
| ròp-iochdair | sole or bottom of net, and rope if any attached. |
| lion-garbh | row of heavy-ply netting along top and bottom of nets. |
| àrcannan | small floats attached to back-rope. |
| butaichean | buoys. |
| butaichean-cinn | end-buoys. |
| ròp-puta | buoy-string. |
| suing | rope by which boat hung on to train of nets. |
| snaim-ceangail | point of attachment of one piece of netting to another, a rope and an eye. |
| cur | shooting of net. |
| (dha) fiachail | the checking of nets, during the night, for the presence of meshed herring. |
| barrachd de ròp-puta | the sinking of nets to deep-swimming herring. |
| moglachadh | an eel, dogfish, etc., entangled in the netting. |
| iasg trom | a heavy meshing of fish. |
| crathadh | the shaking of herring from the net. |
| lobhta-na-lion | the moveable beam on which a fisherman would stand to shake nets. |
| toinneamh | tangled or twisted net. |
| laighigeadh | the sorting out of nets before shooting again. |
| rolair tarrain | hauling roller (on large, steam or motor drift-net boats only). |
| rolair tuill | hauling roller (on large, steam or motor drift-net boats only). |
| crannladh | light amount of herring in a drift-net is referred to [as] ‘crannladh’ derived from ‘cranning’ and pronounced ‘greannladh’. |
