120 WWW.THEFIELD.CO.UK
identify and control seaweed pathogens
and the policies needed to manage such
anindustry.Currentfocusisoncultivation
of Alaria esculenta, Saccharina latissima,
Laminaria hyperborea, Palmaria palmata
andUlva lactuca (sea lettuce).
WORLDWIDEAPPEAL
SAMSgraduateJacobBarnsleyhasa hands-
onjobworkingdownonthequayatOggies.
“The whole worldseems to cometo the
Oban quayside andTheShack tobrowse
thelocallylandedcatchoftheday.That’s
whywehavea ‘handwash’sign translated
inchalkinto 27 languages.”
Undergraduates regularly help out in
NoriesfishandchipshopinGeorgeStreet.
Owner Antonio Di Ciacca’s grandfather
came over from Italy to Scotland in the
1950s. Thesign outside celebrates: ‘Three
GenerationsofFryingExcellence’.
“Myfatheroncesold20 stone of fish in
one day,” says Di Ciacca.
The city, which hosts two Highland
Games in June and August, remains the
undisputed ‘Seafood Capital of Scotland’.
JohnOgdencameupwiththeideaandno
onecontestedit.“Beforewewereknownas
thegatewaytotheislands.Whichgavethe
impression we were just a transit stop to
getflightsandferriestoIslay,Mullandthe
lesser-knowninnerHebrideanislands,like
theSlateislands,”homeofthe World Stone
SkimmingChampionships.
Oban,however,isfarmorethana place
to play ‘ducks and drakes’ and just pass
WHILEObanis a meccaforthe
consumptionoffreshfruitsofthesea,
therearemyriadlochsacrosswestern
Scotlandwhereguestsareencouraged
toventureouttocasta freshwaterfly.
TheEderlineEstate(www.ederline.
com)is one,a workingfarmthatcovers
13,000acresandhas19 hill lochs
reservedforguests.
Salmonandsea-troutanglingcan
bearrangedontheRiverAddorLoch
Awe,which,at 24 miles,is thelongestin
Scotlandandcontainsmanyspecies.It
alsoboaststhecurrentUKbrowntrout
recordof33lb,caughtinAugust2000.
Inland, 15 milesfromObanonthe
mainA85Glasgowroad,atInverawe
Fisheries(www.inverawe-fisheries.
co.uk)theBeginner’sLoch– Hugo’s
Lochan– is withouttreestoensure
snag-freecasting.It is stockedwith
smallerfishfora goodday’ssport.
Instructorsattheanglingschoolareon
handtoteachflyfishingand help rod’s
brushuptheirtechnique.
ChartersoutofObanincludethe
LauraDawnskipperedbyRonnie
Campbell(01631750213),who’lltake
youtogroundsinhabitedbymonster
skateinthedeep,tide-sweptFirthof
Lorn 10 milesout.“Inspringit’squite
commonforustohaulinfishof 200lb
ormore.It cantakeatleasthalfanhour
to bring one up from the sea floor 550ft
down,”saidCampbell,whoseboatcan
takeupto 10 anglers.“Aswefishina
conservationarea,it’sstrictlytagand
releaseforthesegiantsbutyou’llstill
findsustainablysourcedlocalskateon
themenuofmanyObanrestaurants.”
Closertohome,Gordon‘ThePrawn’
Lambdescribeshimselfasa one-man
band.A well-knownObanfisherman,
he’sbeenplyinghistradeformorethan
20 years.Hesellshislangoustines,from
bedsofftheIsleLismore,toseveral
localeateriesthattexttheirordersin
thenightbefore.Principalamongthose
istheWaterfrontandOliveGarden
restaurants,bothbythelandingquay.
Lamb,whois 64,alsohasa healthy
foreignexportmarketforhisdailycatch
- limitedbyweatheranddaylightin
winter– buthestillsellslocallyusinga
traditionalweighingmethod.“I don’tsell
bysizeassomeplacesdobutbyweight
andusethestoneasa measurement.
That’s6.35kganda fullbasketis
normallythreestone,”hesaid.
Obanis provingincreasinglypopular
asa touristdestination. A PremierInn
hasjustopenedattheharbouralongside
therailwaystationandtheseafood
businessis thrivingasa result.
Ifthevisitorsdon’twantlangoustines,
thenscallopsandfreshlyfarmed
musselsarealwayspopular followed by
a fried fish supper.
CASTING OR CONSUMING IN OBAN
Above:SAMSgraduateLenaSitteratNories,setup
byItalianRenatoDiCiaccainthe1950s.Right:Iona
Robertson with a catch of crabs and lobsters
throughenroutetoexploringtheislandsof
ArgyllandBute.Obanbestreflectsthephi-
losophyencapsulated bythe Gaelic, Nach
urramachancuan (How worthy is the work
ofthesea).
It’salsotheplacetolearnthetraditional
Scottish art of undressing a langoustine:
Pinch!Press!Squeezeandpull.
The Seafood Shack hasmade the Cal-
Macferryporta gastrodestination.
“We breed them healthy and hardy
here,” enthuses Marion Ritchie. “Welike
toseea manweigheddownwithmussels
comingourway.Whentheboyshaveno
musselsonthem, we send them out in a
boattosea.”
TheShackhascelebritycustomers,too,
adds Ritchie: “Lionel Messi [Argentinian
footballer]andhischefcameonedaytotry
outourfoodandchoosefromthecounter.
Johndidn’trecognisehimandwhenthechef
saidheworkedforlittleMessi,John– whois
a weebitdeaf–replied, ‘Aye, in my work I
get a bit messy, too.’”
We like to see a man weighed down
with mussels coming our way
