[Iain Macaonghais – Preseantair] Nise tha dùil gun tèid na ciad eisirean a chaidh àrach ann am Barraigh a reic ro dheireadh na bliadhna-sa. Tha 10 millean eisir a-nis aig an tuathanas air an eilean, a chaidh a stèidheachadh ann an 2013. Chaidh an tè-naidheachd againn Karen Elder gu muir a dh’ fhaicinn dè na tha iad ris.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha trì bliadhna air a bhith ann bhon a thòisich tuathanas eisirean ann am Barraigh agus chan eil an t-adhartas air a bhith cho buileach rèidh ‘s a tha a’ mhuir an-diugh. Bha aca ris an t-uabhas ionnsachadh agus rannsachadh a dhèanamh air an t-slighe.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] An gnìomhachas a th’ ann, tha e air feadh an t-saoghail gun teagamh ach chan eil iad ga dhèanamh anns an seòrsa sìde th’againn. A h-uile turas a bha iad a’ sealltainn basgaidean dhuinn ’s dòigheannan air an dèanamh, ’s ann ann an àitichean uabhasach fasgach. Seadh, sin a’ bheachd a bh’ agamsa air co-dhiù agus nach robh iad dol a mhaireachdainn anns an t-sìde a bha againne, no idir sna geamhraidhean. So a’ chiad gheamhraidhean ’s ann a bha mi dìreach a’ shioftadh a h-uile sìon agus bha sinn a-muigh air na sites fàis ach dh’ fheumainn a shioftadh gu fasgadh airson a’ gheamhraidh.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] A dh’ aindeoin ’s gur e dòigh iasgaich gu math diofraichte a tha seo, tha e fhathast stèidhichte air an eòlas-mara a th’ aig an sgioba mun mhuir ‘s na cladaichean a th’ air a bhith anns na teaghlaichean aca ’son iomadh ginealach.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha deich neach-obrach san tuathanas uile gu lèir, ’s iad ag obair air a bhith gan cur ann an òrdugh a rèir nan diofar mheudan, còig latha san t-seachdain. Cha mhòr a-nise nach eil iad deiseil airson an reic.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] Car, tha e san treasamh bliadhna a-nis so tha feadhainn agad car, bliadhna a dh’ aois ’s feadhainn dà bhliadhna a dh’ aois ’s feadhainn trì bliadhna a dh’ aois ’s tha còir agad a-nis a bhith tòiseachdainn air rud a cur a-mach aig deireadh nan trì bliadhna.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha iad air a dhol an sàs le buidheann mhargaidheachd a tha cheana a’ ceannach ‘s a’ reic feusgain.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] Tha iad sin a’ dol a thòiseachadh gan gabhail bhuainn an toiseachd co-dhiù. Tha tancaichean agus goireasan aca sin a tha a-muigh an Glaschu agus car, feumaidh tu tacsa air choieigin air tìr-mòr a thaobh nan duilgheadasan a’ faighinn stuth air falbh às an seo. Chan eil e furasta dhuinn fhìn a bhith dìleas ri marketing, fhios agad, gus am faigh sinn fhìn car, àiteachan an Glaschu far an cuireadh tu ar stuth.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Cha bhi fada ann a-nise gus am bi cuid de na 10 millean eisir a th’ air an àrach ann an uisgeachan Bharraigh air truinnsearan ann an taighean-bidhe. Karen Elder, BBC An Là ann am Barraigh.
[Iain Macinnes – Presenter] Now, it is expected that the first oysters farmed in Barra could be sold by the end of this year. The farm on the island, which was set up in 2013, now has 10 million oysters. Our reporter Karen Elder went to sea, to see what they are up to.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] It’s been three years since the oyster farm in Barra began and progress hasn’t been quite as smooth as the sea is today. They had a great deal to learn and research to do along the way.
[Donald William MacLeod] This industry, it’s worldwide for sure, but they don’t have to farm in the sorts of weather conditions we have. Each time they showed us ways to handle the baskets, we were in very sheltered areas. Well, that’s what I thought anyway, and that they weren’t going to withstand our weather, an certainly not the winters. So the first winters were spent moving everything from the growing sites to somewhere sheltered for the winter.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] Despite this being a very different method of fishing, it’s still based on the knowledge the team has on the sea and the shores, that’s been in their families for many generations.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] The farm has 10 employees in total, working on sorting them according to the various sizes, five days a week. They are now almost ready to be sold.
[Donald William MacLeod] It’s in its third year now so some are around a year old, some are two years old, some others three years old, and we should now be beginning to distribute them after three years.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] They have become involved with a marketing company who are already buying and selling mussels.
[Donald William MacLeod] They are going to start taking them from us initially anyway. They have tanks and facilities out in Glasgow, and you need some form of support on the mainland due how difficult it is to ship things from here. It’s not easy for us to commit to marketing, you know, until we find places in Glasgow that will take our goods.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] It won’t be long now until some of the 10 million oysters that have been farmed in Barra waters will be on plates in restaurants. Karen Elder, BBC An Là in Barra.
[Iain Macaonghais – Preseantair] Nise tha dùil gun tèid na ciad eisirean a chaidh àrach ann am Barraigh a reic ro dheireadh na bliadhna-sa. Tha 10 millean eisir a-nis aig an tuathanas air an eilean, a chaidh a stèidheachadh ann an 2013. Chaidh an tè-naidheachd againn Karen Elder gu muir a dh’ fhaicinn dè na tha iad ris.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha trì bliadhna air a bhith ann bhon a thòisich tuathanas eisirean ann am Barraigh agus chan eil an t-adhartas air a bhith cho buileach rèidh ‘s a tha a’ mhuir an-diugh. Bha aca ris an t-uabhas ionnsachadh agus rannsachadh a dhèanamh air an t-slighe.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] An gnìomhachas a th’ ann, tha e air feadh an t-saoghail gun teagamh ach chan eil iad ga dhèanamh anns an seòrsa sìde th’againn. A h-uile turas a bha iad a’ sealltainn basgaidean dhuinn ’s dòigheannan air an dèanamh, ’s ann ann an àitichean uabhasach fasgach. Seadh, sin a’ bheachd a bh’ agamsa air co-dhiù agus nach robh iad dol a mhaireachdainn anns an t-sìde a bha againne, no idir sna geamhraidhean. So a’ chiad gheamhraidhean ’s ann a bha mi dìreach a’ shioftadh a h-uile sìon agus bha sinn a-muigh air na sites fàis ach dh’ fheumainn a shioftadh gu fasgadh airson a’ gheamhraidh.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] A dh’ aindeoin ’s gur e dòigh iasgaich gu math diofraichte a tha seo, tha e fhathast stèidhichte air an eòlas-mara a th’ aig an sgioba mun mhuir ‘s na cladaichean a th’ air a bhith anns na teaghlaichean aca ’son iomadh ginealach.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha deich neach-obrach san tuathanas uile gu lèir, ’s iad ag obair air a bhith gan cur ann an òrdugh a rèir nan diofar mheudan, còig latha san t-seachdain. Cha mhòr a-nise nach eil iad deiseil airson an reic.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] Car, tha e san treasamh bliadhna a-nis so tha feadhainn agad car, bliadhna a dh’ aois ’s feadhainn dà bhliadhna a dh’ aois ’s feadhainn trì bliadhna a dh’ aois ’s tha còir agad a-nis a bhith tòiseachdainn air rud a cur a-mach aig deireadh nan trì bliadhna.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Tha iad air a dhol an sàs le buidheann mhargaidheachd a tha cheana a’ ceannach ‘s a’ reic feusgain.
[Dòmhnall Uilleam MacLeòid] Tha iad sin a’ dol a thòiseachadh gan gabhail bhuainn an toiseachd co-dhiù. Tha tancaichean agus goireasan aca sin a tha a-muigh an Glaschu agus car, feumaidh tu tacsa air choieigin air tìr-mòr a thaobh nan duilgheadasan a’ faighinn stuth air falbh às an seo. Chan eil e furasta dhuinn fhìn a bhith dìleas ri marketing, fhios agad, gus am faigh sinn fhìn car, àiteachan an Glaschu far an cuireadh tu ar stuth.
[Karen Elder – Neach – aithris] Cha bhi fada ann a-nise gus am bi cuid de na 10 millean eisir a th’ air an àrach ann an uisgeachan Bharraigh air truinnsearan ann an taighean-bidhe. Karen Elder, BBC An Là ann am Barraigh.
[Iain Macinnes – Presenter] Now, it is expected that the first oysters farmed in Barra could be sold by the end of this year. The farm on the island, which was set up in 2013, now has 10 million oysters. Our reporter Karen Elder went to sea, to see what they are up to.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] It’s been three years since the oyster farm in Barra began and progress hasn’t been quite as smooth as the sea is today. They had a great deal to learn and research to do along the way.
[Donald William MacLeod] This industry, it’s worldwide for sure, but they don’t have to farm in the sorts of weather conditions we have. Each time they showed us ways to handle the baskets, we were in very sheltered areas. Well, that’s what I thought anyway, and that they weren’t going to withstand our weather, an certainly not the winters. So the first winters were spent moving everything from the growing sites to somewhere sheltered for the winter.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] Despite this being a very different method of fishing, it’s still based on the knowledge the team has on the sea and the shores, that’s been in their families for many generations.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] The farm has 10 employees in total, working on sorting them according to the various sizes, five days a week. They are now almost ready to be sold.
[Donald William MacLeod] It’s in its third year now so some are around a year old, some are two years old, some others three years old, and we should now be beginning to distribute them after three years.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] They have become involved with a marketing company who are already buying and selling mussels.
[Donald William MacLeod] They are going to start taking them from us initially anyway. They have tanks and facilities out in Glasgow, and you need some form of support on the mainland due how difficult it is to ship things from here. It’s not easy for us to commit to marketing, you know, until we find places in Glasgow that will take our goods.
[Karen Elder – Reporter] It won’t be long now until some of the 10 million oysters that have been farmed in Barra waters will be on plates in restaurants. Karen Elder, BBC An Là in Barra.