Thousands of Powerboats and Sailboats for sale

History

In the Middle Ages, Brixham was the largest fishing port in the South-West, and at one time it was the greatest in England. Brixham is also famous for being the town where the fishing trawler was invented. These elegant wooden boats were invented in Brixham in the 19th century, and copied all over the world, influencing fishing fleets everywhere. Their distinctive sails even inspired the song 'Red Sails in the Sunset' which was written aboard a Brixham sailing trawler called the 'Torbay Lass'. Known as the "Mother of Deep-Sea Fisheries", its boats sailed all round the coats and helped to establish the fishing industries of Hull, Grimsby and Lowestoft. In the 1890s there were about 300 trawling vessels here, each owned by one man who was often the skipper of his own boat.

Trawlers in England

One of the biggest ports in England for trawlers was the city of Kingston upon Hull (or simply 'Hull') in Yorkshire on England's north-east coast.

The largest fishing port in Europe from the 1970's onwards has been Peterhead in the North-East corner of Scotland. In its prime in the 1980's Peterhead had over 500 trawlers staying at sea for a week each trip. Peterhead has seen a significant decline in the number of boats and the value of fish landed due to the impact of the European Union fishing policies. These policies, which have been based on controversial scientific advice, have resulted in a concerted effort to reduce the size of the Scottish fishing fleet.

Trawlers at World War II

During World War I and World War II, many trawlers were used as minesweepers, the activities being similar, and both the crew and the equipment aboard already suited to the task.

During the Cold War, some countries often used trawlers outfitted with additional electronic gear to monitor the activities of their enemies: see spy ship.