To say that commercial fishing in South Ayrshire has taken a battering over the years could be interpreted as a corny joke.But no-one’s laughing; it’s now on the brink.Historic changes to fishing quotas, increased regulation, changes in market fluctuations; environmental pressures, people’s taste preferences, Brexit and now the Coronavirus pandemic.
They have all pushed the sector towards the abyss.From Barassie to Ballantrae. And Troon, Ayr, Maidens and Girvan in-between, some 250 fishermen in South Ayrshire are in danger of sinking beneath the Clyde waves.And this week Elaine Whyte, the executive secretary of the Clyde Coast Fishermen’s Association, has lain bare how the once proud industry is now on life support.“Right now Ayrshire is