Fishing has been an important part of the Connemara Economy for thousands of years. Its importance on the island of Inishbofin, Connemara, is used to illustrate this. The large numbers and the size of the middens found along the Connemara coast show that its early hunter gatherer inhabitants included large amounts of shellfish and sea fish as a major part of their diet. Recent archaeological research has also identified a growing number of fish traps that were used to channels fish so that they could be caught more easily. Some of these have been provisionally estimated to be over 5,000 years old. As the population become more settled and communities formed the methods used for fishing changed as did its relative importance to the population. Inishbofin provides a good example of the types of fishing and the methods used in many parts of Connemara between the 18th and 21st centuries. The importance of fishing on Inishbofin has varied considerably during the last centuries. The harbour on Inishbofin was historically used for shelter by fishermen from other ports in Ireland and Europe. These were attracted by the rich fishing grounds close to Inishbofin. Currently fishing on Inishbofin is at a low level when compared to the fishing in the past. The main activity today is lobster and crab potting. During the summer season some sea angling is also carried using local boats. They are also used to transport visiting scuba divers. In the past on Inishbofin, as in most places in Connemara, most fishermen were also involved in farming. Fishing was an extra means of earning money, whilst agriculture provided most of the food for Inishbofin families. The cost of purchasing nets and other fishing gear were high and where farmers were in arrears with their rent they were often impounded until the rent was paid up to date. The landlords of Inishbofin insisted that the fishing gear used by the islanders was bought from them and that they bought much of the fish. This allowed them to charge more for the equipment and less for the fish than on the mainland. The boats used on Inishbofin were much the same as used elsewhere in Connemara. The only exception was the use of a larger rowing boat crewed by up to 6 rowers. These also had a sail. Curraghs and puchauns were also used. Puchauns were traditionally used for drift netting for herring and Mackerel. There were some hookers. These were used mainly for transport rather than fishing on Inishbofin. Two additional types of boat were introduced to Inishbofin in the 19th century by the Congested Districts Board. These were the Nobby which is an inshore sailing boat used as a traditional fishing boat around Cornwall, Lancashire and the Isle of Man and the Zulu which was a Scottish design with a length of 52 feet (16 m) and a 39-foot keel length (12 m). There were up to 100 nobbys at Inishbofin. Both types of boat were used for drift netting until around 1926 when the salted fish industry went into decline. This eventually led to the end of the curing and barrelling of mackerel and herring on Inishbofin. Fish were salted in barrels which were kept in the houses. The salt content of the brine was measured by seeing if a mackerel or potato would float in it. In the 1960 s BIM developed inshore trawling and up to 4 medium sized trawlers were based in Inishbofin. The main fishing methods used around Inishbofin include lobster potting, long- and hand lining, drift netting, seine netting trawling, gill and trammel netting. Lobster fishing which began in the 18th century was carried out using currachs and puchauns. Half deckers became important during the 1970 s, mostly fishing for lobsters and crayfish but the use of trammel nets during this time has been for the virtual disappearance of crayfish from the water around Inishbofin. Some lobster and crab fishing is still carried out from the island. Lobsters were sold by the baker s dozen , or per 13 lobsters, not being sold by weight until the 1950 s. Crabs are an important catch around Inishbofin. The large sub-tidal edible crab is caught in lobster pots along with lobsters. Generally only the crab claws are marketable. The claws are taken off the crab and the crab is returned to the sea. As the crab is capable of re-growing a claw, some fishermen only take one claw off. Growing demand for crab claws has meant that both claws are often removed. Whether the crab can survive without at least one claw is not known. Herring stocks have virtually disappeared since the 1970s and overall fish stocks are depleted. Mackerel are also fewer and of a far smaller size than was common in the past. Basking sharks were also reported near Inishbofin and some sightings have been made in recent years. These were not fished by locals but were fished by visiting Norwegian boats for liver oils. Whale meat was eaten on the island in the early 1800 but there is no record of what hunting on the Island. Seaweed has always been important on Inishbofin. It has been used as a fertiliser and burned for its iodine content. Both of these activities have virtually ceased in recent decades. Seaweed harvesting and Lobster / crab fishing had territories that were understood by the fishermen from the island fishing areas and fishermen from other islands. Various (legal and not so legal) methods of enforcement were used to maintain the integrity of the boundaries and prevent encroachments. Fatalities at sea have always been a part of fishing life on Inishbofin. Storms, over loaded boats and poor navigation have been causes of marine deaths off Inishbofin. One lady who lived on Inishbofin during the late 19th century and early 20th century, lost two husbands and two sons in three different drowning accidents. The Cleggan Disaster, which occurred on the night of Friday 28th October, 1927 cost the lives of nine fishermen from Inishbofin, as well as 44 from other fishing communities. Only one body of the Inishbofin fishermen was ever recovered. This disaster affected many families on the island, and marked the end of the gill net fishery for herring and mackerel on the island.
