Just how abundant were Arran’s seas? In this latest episode of The Incoming Tide podcast, COAST Co-Founder Don McNeish is joined by Arran local, Fiona Laing, to tell the story of the fish that shaped Arran, the Kilbrannan Sound, and Loch Fyne, ecologically, economically, and culturally.
Our latest podcast looks far beyond 2025, reaching back up to two centuries of life in Arran’s coastal villages of Pirnmill & Lochranza. Don is joined by Arran local Fiona Laing to tell the story of the fish that shaped Arran, the Kilbrannan Sound, and Loch Fyne, ecologically, economically, and culturally.
At the heart of it all is Herring: a single species that transformed communities, livelihoods, and even how Arran connected with the wider world. Few people realise that modern communications first came to the island because of the herring fishery. The telegraph did not arrive for comfort or convenience, but to relay messengers to steamers to collect the night’s catch. Before the introduction of the telegraph, fishers would hail passing steamers from the shore, stopping to load fish and even a few passengers. The connectivity of island life in ways almost unimaginable today.
This is a story of fish and fishermen who helped feed an empire. Of steam ferries and rail connections that today seem like distant dreams. Village communities that were once at the heart of feeding the Victorian Empire. Yet this podcast journey is not trapped in nostalgia. While rooted in memory, it looks forward. As we head into 2026, and towards Sir David Attenborough’s 100th birthday, the episode closes not with loss, but with hope, leaving the final words where they belong: with Sir David himself.
Listen to the full episode here:
Featured image credit: Manojmk on pexels.com