Deep Sea Fishing
On tying up the dock became a hive of activity. The fish 'lumpers' had first to unload the catch. The fish baskets used to be lifted out by hand with three men on deck pulling on ropes and men in the fish room attaching baskets to hooks at the end of the ropes. The introduction of electric winches made unloading easier. The full baskets could weigh five or six stone.
As the baskets were winched up from the hold they were swung towards a catcher who would stand on a plank laid from the quay to a trestle on deck called a 'horse'. The catchers unhooked the baskets and sent the hooks down for the next basket. 'Draggers' would drag the baskets from the quay to the market to be sorted. The sorters tipped the baskets out on to a wooden table and sorted them into size and variety and put them into boxes or kits (tubs). These were then set in rows for the fish sales.
