Located three miles north west of the Trotternish peninsula on the Isle of Skye, Fladda-Chuain is the largest island of the Fladda Island Chain.
With a name derived from the Old Norse "Flatr," meaning "flat" or "level," and "Chuain," meaning "of the ocean" or "sea", Fladda-Chuain is described as being "uniquely positioned", giving views of "the dramatic hills and mountains of Skye, to the rugged mountains of northern Scotland or the picturesque Outer Hebrides".
The uninhabited island sparked worldwide interest earlier this year after being listed for sale for £190,000 by Edinburgh-based chartered surveying and chartered forestry firm Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group.
In its listing, Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group noted that Fladda-Chuain is "the subject of fascinating folklore and legends" and "was once a sacred place identified by some as the mysterious Tír na nÓg in Irish mythology, 'The Isle of Perpetual Youth', traditionally believed to be a magical island where it is always summer, and the sun never sets".
St Columba is also said to have built a chapel on Fladda-Chuain when he bought Christianity to the islands in the sixth century, with the listing also noting that the island was visited by the Vikings "as evidenced by the intricate 11th century gold ring found in 1851 and now on display in the National Museum of Scotland".
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A wide variety of birds nest on the island, including Gannet, Shag, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, common Sandpiper, Artic Tern and Black Guillemot. In addition, there is also a colony of seals which reside on the south-east side of the island.
In November 2002, the island also made the headlines when a nuclear-powered British submarine smashed into the seabed off the island during a training exercise. The accident caused an estimated £5 million of damage to the hull of the 4,750 tonne HMS Trafalgar, with three crew members suffering minor injuries.
Now it appears that Fladda-Chuain has a new owner, following reports that the island has been purchased by international seafood farming and processing business Mowi ASA.
The Bergen-based firm employs 1,500 staff in Scotland and operates 48 farms, producing 68,000 tonnes of salmon annually.
It is understood that tides around Fladda-chuain will allow Mowi Scotland to trial new working methods.
However, the company declined to comment on the reports. In a statement, Mowi said: "Any purchase of that nature would be announced via the usual channels and detailed in our quarterly reports. Mowi has no further comment at this time."
Back in 2019, Mowi sparked controversy after unveiling plans to create a massive salmon farm off the coast of the remote Hebridean island of Canna.
The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), which owns Canna, raised "significant concerns" about the development's effect on the "internationally important marine environment".
NTS was bequeathed the islands of Canna and Sanday in 1981 by the the Gaelic folklorist and scholar John Lorne Campbell, in 1981. Canna, which is four miles long and has a population of 15, who run the island under a deal with the charity.
Stuart Brooks, the trust’s head of conservation and policy, in a formal letter to Highlands Council, argued the development would betray the wishes of John Lorne Campbell.
He said: “The protection of the cultural and natural heritage of Canna on behalf of the nation is our responsibility.
“Based on the information provided by Mowi so far about their fish farm proposals, we have no confidence their plans would not undermine, if not destroy, the very things that make Canna so important.
“In all conscience, we cannot support Mowi’s proposals. We would be failing in our core purpose as a conservation charity if we did, as well as betraying the wishes of John Lorne Campbell, who donated Canna and Sanday to our care.”
The government's conservation watchdog, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), also warned that Mowi's proposals could lead to "significant environmental effects" on the area's seabirds, porpoises and seals, and threaten rare marine life on the seabed.
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