For much of the twentieth century, Fleetwood was one of Britain’s leading deep-sea fishing ports. Hundreds of trawlers sailed regularly to the rich fishing grounds around Iceland, bringing home vast quantities of cod, haddock and other white fish that supported thousands of local jobs. By the 1950s, the town’s economy was heavily dependent upon these distant waters, with fishing providing employment not only for fishermen but also for dock workers, fish merchants, processors, net makers, engineers, transport companies and countless local businesses. This dependence placed Fleetwood at the centre of a series of international disputes that became known as the…
