Herring Lassies

Every year millions of herring swam from the cold waters in the north to warmer waters in the south. They would appear off Shetland in spring and slowly migrate south along the Scottish coast. Fishermen caught many of the fish and women got work in harbours like Aberdeen gutting the fish. It was hard work. The herring lassies, as they were called, had to work outdoors in all kinds of weather. They bent for hours over huge boxes filled with cold, dead fish. They cut them open and then packed them in barrels.