Old travel Blog photograph of fishing boats in the harbour in Helmsdale, Sutherland, Scotland. The fishing village of Helmsdale was largely created at the beginning of the 19th century as part of a wider programme of Improvements carried out by the Sutherland landowners at the time of the Highland Clearances. The fishing fleets followed large shoals of herring along the east coast from Shetland to the southern ports of England. The village swelled in number to several thousand during the herring fishing season and a large workforce was required to process the fish as soon as it arrived at the harbour ready for the waiting markets. The men from local families made up the crews and some were also employed as coopers, curers, blacksmiths and labourers, while the women gutted and packed the herring and were responsible for selling it around the district on creels on their backs. The development of the more efficient Fife, Scaffie and Zulu boats meant larger catches and by the 1880s they became a common sight around the Scottish ports. By the end of WW1 the herring industry was in demise and the improved seine netter fishing boats primarily concentrated on white fish including cod, haddock and ling. Of interest to folks with ancestry, genealogy or Scottish Family Roots in Scotland who may wish to visit one day.
All photographs are copyright of Sandy Stevenson, Tour Scotland, and may not be used without permission.
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