Loch Ròg orLoch Roag is a large sealoch on the west coast ofLewis,Outer Hebrides. It is broadly divided into East Loch Roag and West Loch Roag[1] with other branches which include Little Loch Roag.[2] The loch is dominated by the only inhabited islandGreat Bernera[1] and East Loch Roag is actually referred to as Loch Bernera on early maps, most notably Murdoch MacKenzie's original Admiralty Chart from 1776.[3] The use of west and east to differentiate the sections of the loch appear from the original Ordnance Survey in the 19th century.[4]
The burial of aNorse woman was discovered at Cnìp (Kneep), at the Bhaltos peninsula area of Loch Roag. Even older human settlement has also been seen in the archaeology of the area. Dun Carlowaybroch was the site of the discovery of traces of theBeaker people. There is a recreatedIron Age house at Bòstadh, Bernera where a village of cellular buildings of that era were uncovered in 1996.[1]
TheCallanish Stones in the Loch Ròg area were erected roughly 5,000 years ago: during the late Neolithic or the earlyBronze Age.[5][6] One summary of the research states that this stone circle is believed to have been "used as a lunar observatory. In particular to determine when lunar eclipses would occur".[7]
Loch Ròg is an important area foraquaculture and there are four fish-farming companies operating in the area, two are multi-nationals and the other two are locally owned.[8] The farming of salmon in the loch caused controversy following a huge die off of wildAtlantic salmon in the Blackwater River, which flows into the sea loch. The wild salmon were in poor condition and had been subject to higher than normal levels of attack bysea lice. Investigators found levels of sea lice at a nearby salmon farm which were 13 times the industry standard.[9]
Loch Ròg has a wide range of habitats and these are typical for sheltered sealoch systems. In the more exposed outer sites there arekelp forests dominated byLaminaria hyperborean while in the sheltered inner loch the kelp forest is dominated byLaminaria saccharina forest. Other habitats in the loch include cliff at the entrance wherejewel anemones,plumose anemones and diverse turfs consisting ofbryozoa andascidia. These cliffs end in areas of coarse sandy sediments at depths of 30 metres (98 ft). The silted, rocky slopes in the inner areas of the loch support encrustations of algae and ascidians, giving way to more mixed muddier sediments in shallower waters.[10]
Notable species recorded during underwater surveys of the loch include theholothurianHolothuria forskali, also known as the sea spinner, a species typical of more southerly British waters which occurs sporadically in western Scottish waters. Another interesting species recorded is thestarfishStichastrella rosea which is more typical of the northern British coastal waters and is infrequently recorded from exposed western coastal waters.[10] Other wildlife which may be seen around the loch includered deer,grey seal,European otter,white-tailed eagle andgrey heron.[1] The brackish lagoon complex along the shores of Loch Ròg is aSpecial Area of Conservation.[11]
Loch Ròg contains a number of islands and these include Great Bernera and a number of uninhabited islands.[12]
58°12′6″N6°53′39″W / 58.20167°N 6.89417°W /58.20167; -6.89417
