Johnshaven Harbour - Scottish Fisheries Museum

Johnshaven is a small fishing town about 30 miles south of Aberdeen.

Like many other fishing communities on this part of the coast it has declined in the 20C. Its harbour was too small to cater for the larger boats which were being used from the beginning of the century. 

JOHNSHAVEN HARBOUR c.1900 © Scottish Fisheries Museum / Licensed via www.scran.ac.uk

The photograph above shows the harbour at Johnshaven on the south east coast of Aberdeenshire. The tide is out and 2 boats are lying on the harbour bed. These are probably the Montrose registered "Scottish King" ME 475 and "Jessie Stuart" ME 476. The north east harbour wall can be seen in the background.

Johnshaven was one of the most successful fishing harbours in the early days of the 18C. In 1722 it was the fifth largest in Scotland with 26 boats sailing from there. From about 1743 it began to decline, firstly with 2 boats being lost and a few years later with crews being press ganged into the Navy. In 1753 sea-faring people and their families made up a third of the population of the parish, but by 1793 that number had fallen to less than a fifth.