Inshore Fishing
Fishing smacks operated from Morecambe (formerly called Poulton) and Lancaster in the early years of the 19th century and caught many types of fish including herrings, which appeared in large shoals between September and February. The Lancaster Gazette (January 1853):
"The herring-boats which went out Monday last returned with a fair catch of herrings, having taken from one thousand to 600 per boat".
The boats fished as far as Maryport. As the herring fishing declined, shrimp and fish trawling developed strongly until the early 20th century when it too began to fall away.