Interview: Demonstrator Alec Beaton

I took this interest in watching the other old, my people like my father and uncles and them lifting the razor-fish. So there was one day I decided to go for one myself actually. And my father and this guy Angus Maclean says to me “you carry on, boy. You’re doing well. If you get the first one you’ll get the rest.” So from then onwards I started getting better and better and better. In the end I could use both hands, which I still can do. And all of the family’s involved in it anyway. Seemingly out of the family, I’m not telling a lie, I’m the best, ’cause I’ve got more interest in them.

Angus, my brother, as you’ve seen yourself on the shore there – he’s get-, pretty good at them but I’m not boasting or anything but I know in the Uist area where I stay that I’m the best at them. Sometimes if they’re side by side I can pick three, four, maximum five out of the sand at the same time.

The secret is you’ve got to watch for the eyes and you’ve got to watch your movements on the sand ’cause they’ll shoot down if you don’t get them quick. Sometimes they’ll wait for you but other times they just disappear – slightest movement – and especially if you’ve got oilskins, and I’ve never believed in putting oilskins on, on the shore, ’cause they always rattle, and carrier bags – they rattle. You’re better off with the ordinary pail, and you’re better still if you’ve got someone, as I had the last day I was there, picking them, chucking them behind you and somebody picking them after you. You’re getting there faster, and a lot less hassle for yourself walking back for them, which I’ve done over the years, just throwing them in bundles, but by the time you get back to some of them if you get too greedy, they’re away back down.

I love, that’s one I thing I do, I do love the shore, even the cockles and especially the razor-fish. If there’s, suppose there was tons of cockles to be picked today I prefer to go to the razor-fish.

This is the right season – September up until December. And especially when there’s no – cold weather starts coming in it’s better, easier to catch, but your fingers are cold right enough ’cause sometimes you can see them throw themselves on the sand, completely out of the sand. And some other times you can get them an inch to two inches sticking out, so you just go along and grab them.

I remember when I was young we used to go there with Tilley lamps – Tilley lamps. And when the Tilley lamps ran out we used to go there with torches, bright torches, at all hours in the morning. If, if the tide was right at one o’clock in the morning you would be there to get them. It was only sort of, to me it’s only a hobby – a good hobby – and I’m still interested in picking them.

Tide – well as you’ve seen yourself the tide’s got to be very low before you can get them. You can’t catch every tide. It depends again on the wind direction. If there’s no the right wind there’s no eye, you’re looking on the carpet here – you can’t see anything. The only other way you can get them is by walking about and you can see them, but you’ve got to be very very quick then to catch them, to pull them out. And you’ve got to be very careful or you’ll have no fingers left. That’s one thing you’ve got to – that’s why they’re called razor-fish. They will take your finger off. It’s happened to me over the years, when I was young but I’ve learned my lesson how to come to them. Never ever come straight onto a razor-fish, the eye. Never ever come onto it straight. Come onto it sideways with both fingers. Then you get your thumb around the end of it and out with it. And don’t let it struggle in the sand, ’cause it’ll leave the inside – most of the time it’ll leave its bait in the sand. Then if, what you’ve got to do then is, you’ve got to start digging to get the bait out – which again you can easily cut yourself if there’s dead shells there.