Editing Hebrides (section)

==Modern economy==
[[File:Ellenabeich - geograph.org.uk - 95384.jpg|thumb|right|Sea-filled [[slate]] quarries on [[Seil]] (foreground) and [[Easdale]] in the [[Slate Islands, Scotland|Slate Islands]]]]
For those who remained, new economic opportunities emerged through the export of cattle, commercial fishing and tourism.<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 292.</ref> Nonetheless, emigration and military service became the choice of many<ref>Hunter (2000) p. 343.</ref> and the archipelago's populations continued to dwindle throughout the late 19th century and for much of the 20th century.<ref>Duncan, P. J. "The Industries of Argyll: Tradition and Improvement" in Omand (2006) p. 169.</ref><ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 47, 87.</ref> Lengthy periods of continuous occupation notwithstanding, many of the smaller islands were abandoned.<ref>Haswell-Smith (2004) pp. 57, 99.</ref>

There were, however, continuing gradual economic improvements, among the most visible of which was the replacement of the traditional thatched [[blackhouse]] with accommodation of a more modern design<ref>[http://www.isle-of-lewis.com/history/blackhouses.htm "Blackhouses"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100119035350/http://www.isle-of-lewis.com/history/blackhouses.htm |date=19 January 2010 }}. isle-of-lewis.com Retrieved 17 January 2011.</ref> and with the assistance of [[Highlands and Islands Enterprise]] many of the islands' populations have begun to increase after decades of decline.<ref name=GRO/> The discovery of substantial deposits of [[North Sea oil]] in 1965 and the [[renewable energy in Scotland|renewables sector]] have contributed to a degree of economic stability in recent decades. For example, the [[Arnish yard]] has had a chequered history but has been a significant employer in both the oil and renewables industries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/7136490.stm |title=Yard wins biggest wind tower job |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=10 December 2007 |access-date=6 January 2011}}</ref>

The widespread immigration of mainlanders, particularly non-Gaelic speakers, has been a subject of controversy.<ref name="academia">{{citation |jstor=20622703 |title=Ideology, Affect, and Socialization in Language Shift and Revitalization: The Experiences of Adults Learning Gaelic in the Western Isles of Scotland |url=https://www.academia.edu/367456 |last1=McEwan-Fujita |first1=Emily |journal=Language in Society |year=2010 |volume=39 |issue=1 |pages=27–64 |doi=10.1017/S0047404509990649 |s2cid=145694600}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author1=Charles Jedrej |author2=Mark Nuttall |title=White Settlers: Impact/Cultural |date=1996 |page=117 |publisher=Routledge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iXbdAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 |access-date=25 January 2017 |isbn=9781134368501}}</ref>

Agriculture practised by crofters remained popular in the 21st century in the Hebrides; crofters own a small property but often share a large common grazing area. Various types of funding are available to crofters to help supplement their incomes, including the "Basic Payment Scheme, the suckler beef support scheme, the upland sheep support scheme and the Less Favoured Area support scheme". One reliable source discussed the Crofting Agricultural Grant Scheme (CAGS) in March 2020:<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fwi.co.uk/business/business-management/how-small-scale-crofters-in-scotland-survive-the-challenges |title=How small-scale crofters in the Hebrides survive the challenges. |date=27 March 2020}}</ref><blockquote>the scheme "pays up to £25,000 per claim in any two-year period, covering 80% of investment costs for those who are under 41 and have had their croft less than five years. Older, more established crofters can get 60% grants".</blockquote>