From Rockall to Faroe, Iceland to Greenland, the 19th-century Shetland boats – the Faroe smacks – sought the cod shoals. They used baited lines, then salted the catch on board. Dried salted cod from Shetland was sold to the Basque country, and live cod (kept in tanks) to the London market. They also smuggled Faroese brandy and tobacco. John Goodlad, who has worked in the seafood industry all his life, tells the story of “ordinary people who did extraordinary things”.
You can watch this free event from here, or if you’d like to join questions and discussion, you can also go direct to it in the Science Festival’s YouTube channel
