# Fishing research for graphic story



## willow138 (Jan 15, 2011)

Hello all,

I am researching a fictional story on the community at Dunure near Ayr, during the 1950's/60s. Please excuse my ignorance as I have no direct experience of small scale commercial fishing, however I want to be as informed as possible for any relevant scenes.

I have many questions to enhance the research I've already gathered, but key ones to start are:

1) Was fishing for drift net herring fishing ever a significant contributor to the industry in Dunure, near Ayr?

2) What was the typical crew number for a 50ft or less diesel powered drifter?

3) Is this pictured machinery on the fore-part of this ship a windlass for setting and hauling a drift net?








Many thanks for your support,

Will


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## Douglas Paterson (May 2, 2010)

*Clyde Coast Fishery*

The clyde men pretty much changed over to ring netting for herring rather than drifting from the mid to late 1800's. In the 50's and 60's some of them were turning over to pair trawling for herring.
The crews would have ranged from 4 to 6 men depending on the size of boat.
The picture is a seine net winch, coiler and ropes. This method of fishing was for white fish cod haddock and flatfish. There was a big seine net fishery in the clyde from about the 1930s to the 1970s. The principal means of taking white fish (where there are any left!) is now trawling. Your picture shows the machinery actually operating. The boat is hauling her gear.


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## willow138 (Jan 15, 2011)

*Clyde coast fishery*

Thanks Douglas,

I really appreciate the response. Below is a photograph of Dunure harbour I've found, is it possible to establish what type of fishing technique these boats would have used.








To your first point there's evidence to suggest ring-netters were operating out of Dunure, are you aware of any resources that describe the technique, as information appears to be thin on the ground on-line? Were ring-nets always worked by two boats?

Again to your point one of my books on the subject suggests that there were only an estimated 12 drifters fishing in Scottish waters by 1972, had this technique disappeared completely by the 1960s in the Firth of Clyde?

Thanks again,

Will


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## eriskay (Mar 26, 2006)

I would say that the nearest boat is undergoing maintenance or conversion, and that the other four are ring-netters and the date around the 1960s. 

There were Clyde boats working the herring in the Minch areas of the Inner and Outer Hebrides throughout the 1960s, both the drift-net and ring-net, but mainly the ring-net at that time. They could often be seen landing at Mallaig and occasionally Oban or Ayr.

The boats worked in pairs for ring-netting. Dunure was the home of some very well-respected fishing families who were known up and down the West Coast.

In that photograph you can still see the frames around the harbour periphery where the nets were stretched out for drying and repairing.


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## willow138 (Jan 15, 2011)

Thanks Eriskay,

That is invaluable information, much appreciated.

Will


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