The Very Early Days of Trawling at Granton & Leith
From the almost the very beginning trawling in the Firth of Forth and three miles to the East of the May Island was prohibited. This was to allow the line fisherman to continue and kept the trawlers clear of what was thought to be the Herring Spawning areas. So it was to the fishing grounds East of there that the first trawlers went to catch fish.
These vessels were approx 100 tons and built to withstand the ferocious weather they would encounter in the North Sea or German Ocean as some would call it.
These trawlers would leave the harbour at around midnight on Sunday and spend the next five to six days on the fishing grounds.
Once on the fishing grounds the trawl would be shot over the side and fishing commenced.
This trawl consisted of a 50 to 60ft large wooden beam which had iron runners at each end that kept the beam 2 or 3 ft above the seabed. The trawl its self is just a large tapered bag approx 40ft long with a knot in the end to release the catch (Cod End). The top of this trawl is attached to the beam and the bottom weighed down with a heavy leaded rope to keep the net open. This is attached to wire hawsers and towed along the seabed approx 20 to 40 fathoms below the trawler, the net is towed at a reduced speed and is left down for 3 to 4 hrs.
Once the trawl is hauled and the Cod End emptied and retied it is once more sent to the bottom and trawling once again commences. It is to the fish now that all but the Skippers attention is taken. Boxes are brought up on deck and the fish washed and sorted into boxes according to size and species. This routine would continue relentlessly until it was time to head for home. Sleep came in short sharp bursts for these crews. Catching fish was the priority.
A system of transferring the daily catch of each trawler onto the one vessel was adopted by some. This saved on fuel and time, this vessel would carry it at full speed and allowed for the freshest fish to reach Newhaven Market . There was no ice then. Fish were sold round and were not gutted.
Once the weeks work was done the skipper would head for home were the ships husband would prepare the trawler for the next trip.
Beam trawl
In this type of trawl the mouth or opening of the net is kept open by a beam which is mounted at each end on runners which travel along the seabed. The trawls are adapted and made more effective by attaching tickler chains (for sand or mud) or heavy chain matting (for rough, rocky ground) depending on the type of ground being fished. These drag along the seabed in front of the net, disturbing the fish in the path of the trawl, causing them to rise from the seabed into the oncoming net.