IAIN A. ROBERTSON
Like many Scottish students, Iain A. Robertson worked at salmon netting on the river Tay during summer vacations. This experience kindled his interest in the history of the salmon fisheries, though this remained no more than an interest until, during the 1980s, a part-time Ph.D. at the University of Stirling made it possible to undertake a detailed study of the Tay salmon fisheries during the 19th century. Thereafter, further personal research resulted in The Tay Salmon Fisheries, published in 1998.
Retirement from college lecturing in 1999 allowed research to be undertaken on a Scotland-wide scale and The Salmon Fishers is concerned with coastal netting from the Tweed all the way round to the Solway. By the end of the 20th century the coastal netting industry had suffered serious decline, but there were still many former salmon fishers whose generosity with both time and knowledge contributed much valuable material. In addition to the privilege of meeting these men, Robertson has greatly enjoyed visiting the old fishing stations, many of which are at remote locations on the Scottish coasts.
Visiting the more remote parts of Scotland is one of the attractions in hill-walking, another hobby, which has involved two rounds of the Munros and a host of lower hills. The photograph here was taken at the top of Beinn Eighe in August 2013.
Like many Scottish students, Iain A. Robertson worked at salmon netting on the river Tay during summer vacations. This experience kindled his interest in the history of the salmon fisheries, though this remained no more than an interest until, during the 1980s, a part-time Ph.D. at the University of Stirling made it possible to undertake a detailed study of the Tay salmon fisheries during the 19th century. Thereafter, further personal research resulted in The Tay Salmon Fisheries, published in 1998.
Retirement from college lecturing in 1999 allowed research to be undertaken on a Scotland-wide scale and The Salmon Fishers is concerned with coastal netting from the Tweed all the way round to the Solway. By the end of the 20th century the coastal netting industry had suffered serious decline, but there were still many former salmon fishers whose generosity with both time and knowledge contributed much valuable material. In addition to the privilege of meeting these men, Robertson has greatly enjoyed visiting the old fishing stations, many of which are at remote locations on the Scottish coasts.
Visiting the more remote parts of Scotland is one of the attractions in hill-walking, another hobby, which has involved two rounds of the Munros and a host of lower hills. The photograph here was taken at the top of Beinn Eighe in August 2013.