Search

The line-fishing industry; fish curing and selling; belief i...

Date
Track ID 96384
Part 1

Track Information

Original Track ID

SA1971.257

Original Tape ID

SA1971.257

Summary

The line-fishing industry; fish curing and selling; belief in witches.

John Sinclair gives a detailed account of the line-fishing industry in Thurso, which survived until the Second World War. He describes the different sizes of lines, and the different bait used to catch fish. He gives a detailed account of the various fishing vessels, and the curing process used for freshly-landed fish. He talks about the best fishing grounds and the typical fishing season. Haddock was the fish most commonly sold by fishwives locally. The fish came from their husbands' catches, which were shared equally amongst the crew.

Mr Sinclair once saw the crew of a boat burn [an effigy of] a witch on their boat.

Recording Location

County - Caithness

Item Location

County - Caithness

Parish - Thurso

Village/Place - Thurso

Language

English, Scots

Genre

Information

Collection

SoSS

Source Type

Reel to reel

Audio Quality

Good