An Eye To Windward

Between 1945 and 2000 Shetland's pelagic industry was utterly transformed. At the end of World War Two the industry was local, minimally regulated and with a narrow sphere of influence. Small wooden vessels landed herring to a number of small-scale curing firms. The 1970s were a time of profound crisis and change for fishing industries worldwide, and the Shetland pelagic fishing industry emerged from the crisis period having experienced a particularly dramatic and positive transformation. By the year 2000 Shetlanders owned and operated eight multi-million pound vessels, almost a quarter of the entire UK pelagic fleet. Moreover, the islands could boast one of the largest pelagic processing plants in Europe. The remarkable success story is described and explained here for the first time. Archival sources have been drawn upon, alongside many hours of original interviews with fishermen and others directly involved in the fishery. Collections of original maps, plans and photographs have also been analysed, and select images are reproduced to tell this unique story of fisheries development.