All fishing communities have their superstitions, and Shetland is no different. The reason for the superstitions may be long forgotten, but many fishermen still abide by them today.

The small islands east of Whalsay were used as fishing stations during the 1800s; Grif (or Grui) Skerry for accommodation and East Linga for processing fish.

58 fishermen were killed and 10 boats, mainly sixareens, were lost in a freak storm from Iceland. The coastal community was devastated and many families were destitue.

In 1900, 4 boats and 22 local fishermen were lost during a storm which came on in the space of five minutes.

In 1963 after my family had moved to Lerwick I spent my summer holidays working in Shetland Seafood’s Crab Factory.

Girls as young as 14 were given their first taste of freedom, as they followed the migratory route of the herring from Shetland down the east coast of England, gutting and packing these highly prized fish by the barrel full.

Fethaland (or Fedaland) fishing station, at the north tip of Shetland’s mainland, established in the 15th and 16th centuries, was once the busiest haaf (deep-sea) fishing station, with around 60 boats operating from there.

The pearl in this ring was found by Catherine Emslie’s mother, Ruby Smith of Hamnavoe, while baiting lines in the late 1920s.

Preparing for the launch of the ‘So Much to Sea’ project, Ruth Henderson uncovered an interesting story of her own.

Paintings from local fisherman.

There was seemingly no end to the way in which worn textiles were used to repair or even make new clothing in Shetland.

Scallop fishing boat the Ross Don, pictured in peaceful inshore waters c. 1970.

Fishing boat Reliance.

Ivor Tulloch with a prize-winning catch on board fishing boat Discovery

LK704 Winsome lying peacefully at anchor in Cullivoe, 1968.

Thanks to Billy Arthur for sharing this picture and information about an old ‘luder’ horn which was used by the Shetland haaf fishing boats as a way of signalling between each other in foggy conditions.

The LK243 SWAN is a sail training vessel based in Scalloway and Lerwick. Each year, dozens of trainees and members of the public are taken aboard to learn various seamanship skills and enjoy sailing trips around the isles and further afield.

Piltocks, or saithe, have played an important part in the lives of Shetlanders for centuries.

Here Leslie Tait, chairman of Shetland’s Fishing Association now a lecturer in Fisheries and Seamanship at the NAFC recalls his lifelong interest in fishing –

Amy Lightfoot and Laurie Goodlad explore the significance of the ‘ebb’ in relation to fishing over the years in their book ‘Guddicks’.