Tanera was a pioneering site of the Scottish herring industry. At its peak, herring were caught, processed, packaged, and exported from the island all around the world. As the industry declined, so did life on the island.
In the late nineteenth century, the island had around one-hundred and twenty inhabitants. By the twenty-first century there were only a handful of people living and working on the island. Now, in 2025, there can be over one hundred and fifty people working on Tanera Mòr at any one time.
From its place at the heart of The Tanera Project, the island is a buzzing catalyst for the restoration, regeneration and rehabilitation of nature, communities and people.
This is where our work started in 2017, and where we began to explore the potential of Tanera Mòr as a place to recover and grow more resilient. . We restored the old Café to make the mess - one of the gathering places on the island, repositioned the pier at Ardnagoine and re-commissioned the old post office. Our charitable guests value the warmth and privacy here.
Originally built in 1784, the Herring Station on Tanera Mòr was an outpost of the 18th century Scottish fishing industry. It was the busiest, most populous place on the island, at the busiest moment in the island’s history. The soil which enriches the small agricultural plot behind the station is Irish - ballast piled into herring boats for the journey across the Irish Sea, then emptied onto our shore to be replaced by barrels of herring. We welcome seafarers to the anchorage, the bothy, the museum and artists’ studio here, maintaining the long tradition of the island as a haven.
A former quarrying area at the island’s peak is now the site of the island's busy operational hub. There is accommodation, a communal mess and office. A functional cookhouse prepares all the food for the island community - with much of the vegetable produce grown on the island. In contrast to the calm, secluded parts of Tanera, this area is buzzing with activity, ideas and opportunity for our team, our volunteers and our guests.
As the road we built extended around the island we were able to begin building projects on Tanera’s southern shores. Rather than limiting our growing potential to a domestic greenhouse, we found, bought, repaired and installed a commercially-scaled glasshouse, creating capacity to nurture more plants. And more opportunities for productive work for more people. The boathouse at the island’s South End is the center of operations for our fleet and another busy, industrious spot. As with North End, charitable guests to the island find peace and privacy here.