Fishing, as it was on the Humber.



Life on the Docks: Fishing

The arrival of the railways in the middle of the 19th Century meant a boom for the region's fishing industry.  Large quantities of freshly-landed fish could be rapidly transported to cities across the UK.  The fishing community thrived in Hull and Grimsby. Many trawlermen were born in to the industry, with family connections going back generations.
The job of deep-sea fishing is the most dangerous peacetime occupation.  According to the industry's trade body, Seafish, there are 126 deaths per 100,000 fishermen each year; "many times higher" than any other sector of UK industry.  The high risk of death and long months spent away created a unique way of life in the local fishing community.  Men on shore leave were called "three-day millionaires", spending their pay in pubs and clubs before the next trip out to the North Sea fishing grounds.

Courtesy off BBC North.