Iasgach an Sgadain / Herring-Fishing
- Informant(s)
- Name
- Age
- [?]
- Location
- [Harris], Scalpay
- Date
- [?]
- Notes
- [NOTES: the questionnaire gives definitions and expects the informant to provide the appropriate words and phrases, therefore in this file, in most cases the definitions as they appear in the questionnaire have been copied together with the word or phrase that Mr Morrison entered next to them.]
| 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’. |
© DASG
