Scottish port fears for its survival

Fishermen in Mallaig, once Europe's busiest herring port, greeted the commission's proposals with gloom yesterday.

Fishermen in Mallaig, once Europe's busiest herring port, greeted the commission's proposals with gloom yesterday.

Though they found a way out by turning to prawns, the Scottish west-coast community remembers the shock of the 1970s herring ban. Until then, fishermen had thrown away prawns.

James McLean, the harbour master and a fisherman for 35 years, said the plans were disastrous for the industry. "The prawn boats keep us going but we have lost the income from all the other boats that used to come here," he said.

More than 80 per cent of the town's households receive income from fishing.