Moray Firth fishing disaster

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57°41′42″N 3°36′14″W / 57.695°N 3.604°W / 57.695; -3.604 The Moray Firth fishing disaster of August 1848 was one of the worst fishing

and significant changes to the design of fishing boats over the remainder of the 19th century.

Fishing history

Scottish fishing boats of the late 18th and early 19th centuries were generally small sail boats with open hulls that mainly fished close to shore. The shallow design of the boats allowed them to be launched by their crew from

in rough seas.

the fish aboard the vessels. To compete with this method, the Government of the day introduced a bounty system which initially rewarded fishermen for using larger vessels, but later paid the bounty based on the size of catch. This led to a gradual increase in the size of fishing vessel operating from the East Coast harbours, although open hulls were still favoured because this allowed the maximum possible catch to be accommodated.

The storm and its aftermath

Wick is the busiest with 543 boats, followed by Fraserburgh

.

The weather on the afternoon of 18 August was favourable, promising good fishing and, from

, 124 boats were lost, many while trying to enter harbour, and 100 fishermen lost their lives, leaving behind 47 widows and 161 children.

In the aftermath of the storm, the Government appointed Captain John Washington of the

House of Commons

in 1849. Washington came to two main conclusions: firstly, that the open-hulled design of the fishing boats was deficient, leading to their susceptibility to swamping in heavy seas, and was a significant factor in the tragedy; secondly, that there was a shortage of good quality harbours accessible to fishing vessels in all tidal conditions.

Washington's recommendations led to a programme of improvements to the many small harbours around the east coast of Scotland. The Fishery Board for Scotland also encouraged the introduction of

which was common around the Moray Firth. Fishermen initially resisted the introduction of decks because it reduced the space available for the catch, and they also feared that a deck would increase the risk of men being swept overboard.

Gradually, the provision of decks on the boats became more common, which led to a further increase in boat size to compensate for the reduced space for the catch. In addition to decks, new boats were being built with a small

in 1879. By the end of the century all the east coast fishing vessels were fully decked.

See also

• Maritime history of Scotland
• Eyemouth Disaster
• Scottish East Coast Fishery

References

External links

• The history of herring fishing on the east coast of Scotland