Herring Gutters at Point Street, Ullapool

Herring Gutters at Point Street, Ullapool

ID: ULMPH_2000_0707 DESCRIPTION: Herring gutters at Point Street, Ullapool, posing beside barrels. 'Herring Girls' followed the herring fleet around the coast of Britain. The women worked in teams of three with two gutting the fish and one packing them. The herring catches were unloaded into large wooden troughs called farlans. Most women could gut an average of 40 fish each minute but some were significantly faster. The packer would put the fish into barrels of salt and they would become pickled in the liquid that formed. Ullapool was developed as a fishing station in 1788 by the British Fisheries Society. Every season boats and herring gutters would arrive from all over Scotland. The herring industry declined in the 1930s and the processing became more centralized on the east coast although boats continued to fish on the west coast. This image may be available to purchase. For further information about purchasing and prices please email Ullapool Museum PLACENAME: Ullapool DISTRICT: Lochbroom OLD COUNTY/PARISH: ROSS: Lochbroom CREATOR (AV): J. Valentine & Sons SOURCE: Ullapool Museum COLLECTION: Ullapool Museum Photographic Collection Asset ID: 40445 KEYWORDS: