The History of the Fishing Industry in Scotland
Fishing has long been one of the most important industries in Scotland. Despite having only a small percentage of the UK's population the area is responsible for the majority of the fish that are caught. This is mainly because of the excellent fishing grounds that are located nearby. The history of fishing in Scotland is one of many ups and downs like it is with fishing in most places.
Fishing has existed in Scotland since the earliest day of human habitation. Fish have long been one of the main food sources in the area and the earliest inhabitants tended to live near the coast so that they would have easy access to the fish. Early fishing in Scotland was done on a purely subsistence basis but that would all start to change in the medieval period. It was during this period that Scottish fisherman were able to start exporting their excess catch to the continent as a result of better boats that it made it more practical to travel longer distances. As a result the first full time professional fisherman started to appear.
The development of a professional fishing industry in Scotland led to a number of towns being created as the fishermen tended to concentrate together. At this point the church started to recognize the importance of the fishing industry and got involved. The church would grant fishermen exclusive rights to certain fishing areas. In exchange the fishermen had to pay a tithe to the church. The granting of exclusive fishing areas had the effect of consolidating the industry.
In the nineteenth century fishing in Scotland reached its peak as there was a boom in the industry. This was the result of a number of factors, the biggest being that better equipment increased the catch. The other big reason for the boom in the nineteenth century was that the railroad made it much easier to transport the catch to other markets. The fact that most of the fish caught off of Scotland were herring which had become a delicacy throughout Europe also helped.
The boom in the fishing industry would last right up until the start of the First World War at which point most of the fishermen joined the navy and the industry came to a virtual stop. There would be brief revival after the war but the same thing would happen during the Second World War. Following World War Two the industry would rebound but not the level it had been at before. Larger boats with smaller crews took over most of the work reducing the number of fishermen that were required however the industry remained strong. This would change in the eighties when it started to become obvious that years of over fishing had taken its toll. The result was a collapse in the fishing industry from which it is slowly recovering.