The East Anglian herring fishing industry can trace its roots back to before the Norman's arrived in 1066. The main ports, and great rivals were Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft. This continued when local entrepreneur Samuel Morton Peto built a new fish market in Lowestoft to connect with main railways in 1882. It was then possible to land fish one morning and have the catch available in the fish market of Manchester or London by the next.
From about the 1860s right up to the 1960s, Scottish fishermen, accompanied by their wives, sisters and girlfriends would come on an annual basis to fish, gut and pack herring during the season - September to November each year. By 1910 Lowestoft harbour was so packed with sailing drifters that it was possible to cross the harbour without getting your feet wet. Sadly all this prosperity was not to last. By the 1990s for a combination of reasons - overfishing, government red tape and the high cost of fuel - East Anglia's fishing industry was all but dead. But the memories live on.
In this book, Ian Robb who lives in Lowestoft and joined the local fishing fleet in 1962, draws together the stories of those who can remember, providing a lasting record for generations to come.
