Leis gun deach raointean uighean sgadain a lorg faisg air Geàrrloch, ’s dòcha nach eil an seanfhacal cho iomchaidh a-nise!  

The recent discovery of significant beds of herring eggs near Gairloch might cause us to think twice about using an old Gaelic proverb!

Chan eil an Sgadan cho ‘marbh’ ’s a tha an seanfhacal ag ràdh

Thathar a’ cleachdadh an t-samhlaidh cho marbh ri sgadan, stèidhichte air a’ bheachd nach mair sgadan beò fada nuair a tha e air a thoirt às a’ mhuir (ged a dh’fhaodadh an abairt a bhith na giorrachadh air an t-samhladh cho marbh ri sgadan a bha oidhche ann an salann). Airson ùine mhòr tha an samhladh air a bhith iomchaidh a thaobh call stoc an èisg agus dubhadh-às gnìomhachas iasgaich an sgadain ann an Alba. Ach tha beagan dòchais ann às ùr don iasg seo, oir lorgadh raon mòr de dh’uighean sgadain o chionn ghoirid faisg air Geàrrloch ann an Ros an Iar. Ge-tà, mus èirich cus dòchais a thaobh aiseirigh obann an iasgaich, ’s fhiach abairt eile a chuimhneachadh – oir tha e nas coltaiche gun till stoc an èisg seo beag air bheag mar a dh’itheas an cat an sgadan.

Herring catch by Atle Grimsby (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

The Herring isn’t as ‘dead’ as the proverb says

A well-used Gaelic simile cho marbh ri sgadan ‘as dead as a herring’ – based on the notion that the species dies quickly when removed from the sea (although it’s perhaps a reduction of an earlier form cho marbh ri sgadan a bha oidhche ann an salann ‘as dead as a herring that was salted for a night’) – has for long seemed to be apt with regards to the lack of conservation of the stock and the loss of a massive fishing industry in Scotland. But the recent discovery of a large area of herring eggs near Gairloch in Wester Ross bears the promise that a better future lies ahead, with the species poised to return, at least locally. However, before people raise their hopes for the sudden renewal of commercial herring fishing, it’s worth recalling another Gaelic saying. It’s more likely that the stock will return beag air bheag mar a dh’itheas an cat an sgadan ‘little by little, as the cat eats the herring’.