At different times of the year herring were found in commercial numbers in the North Sea the Moray Firth the Minches the Firth of Clyde the Irish Sea & the English Channel. Because the herring grounds were close to land British fishermen were generally able to land their catches of herrings within hours of catching them. Their French rivals who had to fish further away from their home ports used larger drifters with a crew of up to thirty men (compared to the British drifter with a crew of ten) & they remained at sea for several weeks. As they hauled & emptied their nets they started the salting & barrelling process on board the vessel. On arrival at their home port the herrings were repacked & then marketed. The fact that the British herring were caught gutted properly salted & packed in barrels within twenty-four hours was the reason that Russian & German buyers preferred them. Christopher Unsworth tells the story of this once huge industry & the advent & decline of the steam drifter.