West Highland Salmon Fisheries Co. - letter to an employee, 1953

James Banks, owner of the sea salmon fishing lease in Portree, wrote this letter to Neil Angus Nicolson in December 1953. Nicolson lived in Bayfield, Portree and was paid by Banks to keep an eye on all the equipment and sheds at Bayfield while Banks spent the winter in Perth. Banks mentions net pins and suggests an alternative supplier so that Nicolson can 'get on', so Nicolson was obviously doing some jobs over the winter months. <br /> <br /> Banks also mentions one of the favourite topics of island people - the weather. He had read in the press that Skye had rain on 58 consecutive days. He refers to Seton Gordon's letter to the Scotsman which listed rainfall in Duntulm as 9 inches (23 cm) during October and November. From 1931 until his death in 1977, Seton Gordon, an eminent writer and naturalist, spent much of each year at Duntulm.<br /> <br /> <br /> <b>West Highland Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd</b><br /> In 1944 James Banks & Sons, Perth bought the sea salmon fishing lease for the Kilmuir Estates, Skye from A Powrie & Co, and formed the West Highland Salmon Fisheries Co Ltd to operate the lease. The company continued until 1962 when it was sold to Kenneth Matheson, Portree. <br /> <br /> When Banks and Sons took over the lease there were fishing stations at Lealt, Rigg (Borreraig), Staffin, Portree, Camustianavaig, Balmeanach and Brochel Castle (on Raasay). In 1956, Balmeanach and Camustianavaig merged to become the Braes station, with three men employed, while the others usually had four-man crews. The company employed about 28 men each year with jobs being offered to the same men each season before new workers were hired. <br /> <br /> The season began late April/early May and ran through to the end of August. Several men were also employed during the winter months to take ice down from the dam at Sluggans for storage at the ice house at Portree harbour. Each crew member would receive a contract with information on wages, proposed bonus scheme and work hours and were provided with oilskins and rubber boots. <br /> <br /> The catch was divided into salmon, grilse and trout, with grilse numbers being the highest. The total annual catch was approximately 3000 fish in the late 1940s and early 1950s. A record high of nearly 10,000 fish were caught in 1957. <br /> <br /> <br /> This image may be available to purchase.<br /> For further information about purchasing and prices please email<br /> <a href="mailto: skyeandlochalsh.archives@highlifehighland.com ">Skye and Lochalsh Archives</a>