Where in the north east?

Hazel Thomson took this photo of Portknockie Harbour.

Fishing boats had been taking advantage of its natural bay for centuries beforehand, however the village had to wait until the so-called Scottish Herring Boom for a proper harbour.

Herring was relatively easy to catch in the Moray.

As a result a railway station was built at Porknockie in 1886, followed by the harbour in 1890, to help cater for the huge demand for the fish in continental Europe.

At the peak of the boom about 250,000 tons of herring were being cured and exported every year, with the main markets being Germany and Russia.

Some 150 fishing boats were based in the village, which boasted a population of 1300 people – virtually the same number as today.

The boom went into decline following the outbreak of the First World War in 1914.

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