大象传媒

D猫 th鈥� ann an gille-ruadh? Bidh sibh a鈥� smaoineachadh, 鈥檚 d貌cha, air balach le falt ruadh. Ach tha mise a鈥� smaoineachadh air iasg. Tha aithrisean ann gun robh an gille-ruadh ann an Loch Mh貌rair. Tha e ann an 脠irinn cuideachd, gu s貌nraichte ann an Loch Meilbhe. 鈥橲 e gillaroo a chanas iad ris ann am Beurla.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 鈥橲 e breac a tha ann. 鈥橲 e seilcheagan-uisge a bhios e ag ithe. Tha am biadh sin ga dh猫anamh ruadh. Aig deireadh an t-samhraidh, ge-t脿, thig iad gu uachdar an locha. Tha iad a鈥� lorg chuileagan. An uair sin bidh iasgairean gan glacadh air a鈥� mhaghar.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 An e gn猫 猫isg eadar-dhealaichte bhon bhreac a tha ann? Tha cuid ag r脿dh gur e Salmo trutta a tha ann 鈥� am breac 脿bhaisteach. Tha cuid eile ag r脿dh gur e gn猫 fa leth a tha ann. Chuir iad ainm saidheansail air 鈥� Salmo stomachius. Tha stamag mh貌r l脿idir aige.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Ann an Innis nan Damh, ann an Asainte, tha loch beag ann. Air a鈥� mhapa, 鈥檚 e an t-ainm a tha air Loch Mhaolach-coire. Chan eil an t-ainm sin a鈥� d猫anamh ciall dhomh. A r猫ir choltais, chan eil e ceart. 鈥橲 e Loch Maol a鈥� Choire an t-ainm ceart. Tha muinntir an 脿ite cuideachd ga aithneachadh mar The Gillaroo Loch.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Cumaibh seo agaibh fh猫in, ach tha e coltach gu bheil an t-iasgach uabhasach math ann. 鈥橲 e as coireach ri sin gu bheil clach-aoil ann. Tha sin a鈥� d猫anamh an loch torrach. Agus tha meanbh-chreutairean ann, ann am pailteas. Tha cloitheagan gu le貌r ann.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bidh na bric ann an Loch Maol a鈥� Choire ag ithe nan cloitheagan. Bidh iad a鈥� f脿s m貌r agus ruadh. Ach an e Salmo stomachius a tha ann? No d矛reach Salmo trutta, am breac 脿bhaisteach? Tha seann leabhar mu Asainte ag r脿dh nach e gille-ruadh a tha ann. Tha e ag r脿dh 鈥� 鈥榯he loch is supposed (but wrongly) to contain the true gillaroo trout鈥�. 鈥橲 e d矛reach am biadh a tha ga dh猫anamh eadar-dhealaichte.

What is a gille-ruadh? You鈥檒l be thinking, perhaps, of a boy with red hair. But I鈥檓 thinking of a fish. There are reports that the gille-ruadh was in Loch Morar. It is also in Ireland, particularly in Lough Melvin. It鈥檚 called gillaroo in English.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It鈥檚 a trout. It鈥檚 water-snails that it eats. That food gives it a russet colour. At the end of the summer, however, they come to the surface of the loch. They are looking for flies. Then fishermen catch them on the [artificial] fly.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Is it a separate species of fish from the trout? Some people say that it is Salmo trutta 鈥� the normal trout. Some others say that it is a separate species. They gave it a scientific name 鈥� Salmo stomachius. It has a large strong stomach.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 In Inchnadamph, in Assynt, there is a small loch. On the map, it鈥檚 called Loch Mhaolach-coire. That name doesn鈥檛 make sense to me. Apparently, it鈥檚 not correct. The correct name is Loch Maol a鈥� Choire. The local people also know it as The Gillaroo Loch.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Keep this to yourself, but it appears that the fishing there is excellent. The reason for that is that there is limestone there. That makes the loch fertile. And there are small creatures there in plenty. There are lots of shrimps.

聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The trout in Loch Maol a鈥� Choire eat the shrimps. They grow big and russet. But is it Salmo stomachius? Or just Salmo trutta, the normal trout? An old book about Assynt says it is not a gille-ruadh. It says 鈥� 鈥�the loch is supposed (but wrongly) to contain the true gillaroo trout鈥�. It鈥檚 just the food that makes it different.