In most maritime countries, women have been an integral part of the fishing industry, but from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth, large numbers of women went to work as herring lassies. Some of them worked with the local herring fleets in the Shetland and Orkney islands, and some followed the herring migration from Scotland down the east coast of England.

The work wasn’t easy: the women had to stand long hours in all kinds of weather. They had to be quick––and careful––with the knives as they gutted and packed. Paid by the piece, they could gut a fish in a few seconds. But they also enjoyed the independence that came from earning their own money and the camaraderie of the docks.