A now-uninhabited island which extends to 157 ha (388 acres) in size and reaches a height of 120m (394 feet) at a peak in the northwest of the island, Isle Martin is located off the west coast of Ross and Cromarty in Highland Council Area, 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Ullapool. An east lying outlier of the Summer Isles, Isle Martin lies in Loch Broom. The British Fisheries Society established a fish-curing station here in 1775, operating in conjunction with their harbour at Ullapool. More than 100 people worked here to produce smoked or 'red' herring, at least some of which were exported to feed slaves in the West Indies. It closed in 1813 after successive years of failing catches. A flour mill operated on the site of the former fishing station site between 1939 and 1948. The island's houses fell into disrepair in the 1990s and he last permanent resident left. Once owned by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the island is now the property of the Isle Martin Trust. It is still a recognised bird sanctuary.
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