Beachd Ailein

Campaigner and gentleman angler Corin Smith and his colleagues at Salmon & Trout Conservation have long blamed salmon farming for the decline of wild salmon and sea trout along the north west coast of Scotland. However, the evidence to support their claims is extremely thin on the ground.

Mr Smith has been invited to visit salmon farms and to speak to industry representatives but has so far refused to do so. I would suggest that if he was so concerned about the plight of wild salmon and sea trout, he would be willing to explore every possible avenue.

Wild salmon return to Scottish rivers to breed. They do so in response to cues from nature and part of the process involves the biological change to allow them to swim from salt to freshwater. The idea that escaped farm-raised salmon, which the wild fish sector claim to be inferior to truly wild salmon, would suddenly charge up a river and start breeding with any and every wild fish is simply fantasy.

Annual catch records confirm escaped farmed salmon found in Scottish rivers are few and far between. In the rare case that interbreeding should occur, any weakness would be quickly bred out as determined by Darwinian survival of the fittest.

Wild salmon and sea trout have been in decline across of all of Scotland for many years and for many reasons. Should salmon farming ever be transferred to closed containment as they have demanded, it will not bring about a recovery of wild salmon and sea trout stocks to west coast rivers or anywhere else in Scotland.

Dr Martin Jaffa, Callander

McDowell, Manchester.

Sadly the recent events resulted in liquidation.

I am, however, somewhat shocked at the apparent ready acceptance of the speedy demise of what was potentially part of a Performing Arts Department of the future University of Oban ... “Oban is a University Town” as road signs describe Oban ... as well as a significant factor in the local economy and artistic community.

Oban and its existing educational power houses – SAMS at Dunbeg, the University of the Highlands, Argyll College – will lose a partner in tertiary educational opportunities at in

Ballet

West have editor@obantimes.co.uk

Coinnichidh na daoine ged nach coinnich na cnuic!

’S e coinneachadh beag brònach a bh’ againn air an t-seachdain seo chaidh is sinn a’ gabhail beannachd le nàbaidh air an robh sinn air eòlas a chur thar còrr air trithead bliadhna. Dh’fhàg cuingealachadh a’ choròna-bhìorais nach robh mòran sluaigh ceadaichte a bhith an làthair a chomharrachadh beatha an fhir seo, ach bha measgachadh de dh’aithrisean eirmseach air an snìomh gu h-iomchaidh an lùib sgeul dhuilich a bhàis is sinn a’ cuimhneachadh air na choilean e. Cha bu bheag sin, is e air bliadhnaichean mòra a thoirt mar neach-teagaisg dealasach air an robh gu follaiseach meas am measg oileanach agus cho-obraichean, agus thug e mòran de chuid ùine phearsanta cuideachd a’ siubhal gu ruige na Gambia a chuideachadh le leasachaidhean foghlaim chloinne an sin. Saoilidh mi gum bheil e fìor a ràdh nach eil mòran dhaoine feadh an t-saoghail shìobhalta nach toir aithne agus moladh dha neach-teagaisg àraid air choreigin airson na fhuair iad de thaic a’ leasachadh an cuid eòlais agus adhartais nam beatha, agus nach sònraichte an teisteanas sin air neach sam bith. Sin a’ chliù air am bheil a’ mhòr-chuid de luchd-teagaisg airidh ged ’s dòcha nach eil iad daonnan ga fhaotainn, agus gu cinnteach bidh leithid sin de chuimhne air ar nàbaidh nach maireann.

Bhithinn fhìn ’s e fhèin ag obair còmhla air caochladh phròiseactan thar nam bliadhnaichean, ach ’s e coiseachd mhonaidhean is bheanntan an

the very time all such opportunities should be developing. Clearly, whatever the future, there needs to be huge changes in the ownership and management of Ballet West, but to claim within days that ‘every option was explored to secure funding or alternative partners etc...’ seems somewhat too hurried a decision.

When in recent straitened times months of consultations and deliberations have occurred before any rural school catering for two or three pupils was closed, surely more is expected in the case of the closure of a nationally recognised ballet school, apart from its impacts on the local economy and community?

The impacts includes many losses, including consumer demand on the local Taynuilt and Oban economies – some 80 people will no longer be in Ballet West; the local part-time cur-seachad a b’ fheàrr leis seach dad eile, agus a bharrachd air an eòlas a bh’ aige air slèibhtean na dùthcha seo bha e cuideachd air slighean feadh na Roinn Eòrpa a choiseachd. Ma bha ùine saor aige, agus an aimsir a’ coimhead idir gealltanach, thogadh e a-mach a h-uile cothrom a gheibheadh e an cuideachd charaidean neo leis fhèin. Bha e sona a’ coiseachd na aonar, a’ gabhail tlachd à àilleachd na dùthcha agus tha mi cinnteach gum biodh an litreachas air an robh e cho mion-eòlach a’ dùsgadh is a’ ruith na inntinn air a chuairtean. Ged nach b’ e Gàidheal a bh’ ann idir bha e air bloighean Gàidhlig a thogail bho cho-obraichean thar nam bliadhnaichean, agus bha ùidh mhòr aige cuideachd ann an ainmean Gàidhlig bheanntan is uillt is bha e deònach am fuaimneachadh gu ceart agus tuigse a bhith aige air an ciall. Saoilidh mi gun robh an duine seo gu cinnteach ann an co-luadar le nàdar, agus gu ìre bha an àrainneachd sin a’ còmhradh gu tlachdmhor ris tro mheadhan na Gàidhlig.

Bidh na beanntan ga ionndrainn tuilleadh, mar a bhios sinne cuideachd!

Whilst not a Gaelic speaker our late neighbour and friend had absorbed many words and phrases, and he had a particular interest in the pronunciation and meaning of Gaelic place-names encountered as he walked the hills and glens of Scotland. This was a man in communion with the natural world which regularly spoke to him, in Gaelic!

Allan Campbell, ailean@obantimes.co.uk

labour force of some 80 young people, as well as the reversal of population loss of an annual local intake of young people that has ameliorated the long-recognised problem of the flight of post school students to educational establishments elsewhere; Ballet West’s artistic and educational contribution to local and national performing arts; of a prestigious educational opportunity to Oban; of year-round bus and rail travel demand; to local children and adults of community dance and ballet opportunities etc.

Immediate appropriate action required.

The ownership and management must speedily be changed. It is incumbent on the Board of Trustees and the liquidator to involve local and national government, and local and national politicians to explore all potential is of course