The herring migrated around Scotland from May to October and the fleet of boats followed their enormous shoals. During the season the population of Stronsay swelled from around 1000 to 5000 inhabitants . Once the catch was landed by the boats it was gutted by an army of gutter women and cured with salt, packed into barrels and exported. Stronsay herring were renowned for their flavour and quality and were transported to ports such as St. Petersburg, Gdansk, and Hamburg.
Interesting features to note as your ferry approaches the pier, are the upturned boat and the sea flushing toilet to the left of the village. The upturned boat is the remains of a lifeboat belonging to the SS Athena, a passenger ship torpedoed by a German submarine on the first day of the Second World War.
