Fisherrow

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Fisherrow is a harbour and former fishing village at Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, UK, to the east of Portobello and Joppa, and on the left bank of the River Esk.

1 History
2 Present
3 External links
4 See also
5 Photo gallery

[edit] History

There has been fishing at Fisherrow and Musselburgh since Roman times, and the present 18th century harbour is very close to the Roman harbour which served the Inveresk Roman fort on the high ground east of the River Esk. The Fisherrow fishermen used to fish for herring,and later for white fish, prawns and sprats. The harbour was home to a large fishing fleet.

Fishing villages were close-knit communities, and there was a Fishwives' Choir, and golf tournaments took place between the fishwives of Musselburgh and Fisherrow. Fishermen and fishwives held a "Box Walk" each September which marked the end of the fishing season, and an opportunity to give presents of money to those in need.

In 1939, the Firth of Forth became a strategic area for the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, and fishing activities were curtailed. Fishermen's Associations and politicians protested against this, and some of the restrictions were lifted. But despite this, many fishermen were called up, and the Navy commandeered some of the boats for war service.