I originally supposed that most of the jobs in this category fell under the heading of "vanished Victorian professions" - but actually most of them still live on in one form or another. Though 19th-century whalers are vilified today as cruel destroyers of the ocean's gentle giants, their depredations could hardly compare to those of the 20th century - and whaling is still conducted by several countries. And though the Victorian seal-hunter would probably get little sympathy from today's reader, nine countries still engage in such hunting, including Canada. Life-boat services also remain a vital (though largely volunteer) profession. No longer, however, is there much need for sailors to man "light-ships" (a sort of floating lighthouse), and even land-based lighthouse keepers are becoming increasingly rare in the face of automation. But the profession of fishing will be with us as long as we have oceans!

Fishing

Yarmouth Bloaters (Leisure Hour, 1868)

A look at the Yarmouth herring fishery.

Pilchard Fishing in Cornwall (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1879)

The Herring, by Greville Fennell (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1880)

A look at the fish itself and the herring fishing industry.

The Metropolis of Shrimp (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1885)

The shrimping industry of Leigh, on the Thames.

Gloucester Fishers, by Franklin H. North (Century Magazine, 1886B)

The dangerous lives of New England fishermen.

Seals and Salmon (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

Seal-hunting and the war between Scottish salmon-fishers and net-destroying seals.

The Sturgeon Fisheries (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

Though often regarded as a "royal" fish, the sturgeon is only "royal" if caught in the Thames. This article looks at sturgeon in general and the fisheries of the Caspian sea.

A Silver Harvest (The Strand, 1891A)

The pilchard fishing industry in Cornwall.

An Autumn Thanksgiving: The Harvest of the Sea, by Beatrice Smallfield (Girl's Own Paper, 1895)

A sea harvest festival at St. Michaels Mount, Cornwall.

Fisher Girls and Fishwives, by Fanny Green (Girl's Own Paper, 1897)

Life in the herring, shrimp and pilchard fishing communities.

The Finnan Haddie: What It Is, and Where It Comes From, by Barrington MacGregor (English Illustrated Magazine, 1899A)

Haddock-fishing in Scotland.

Whaling

Whales and Whaling (Cassell's Family Paper, 1859)

Sperm Whale Fishing, by W.H.G. Kingston (Leisure Hour, 1868)

A Whale Hunt, by David Bremner (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

The Perils and Romance of Whaling, by Gustav Kobbe (Century Magazine, 1890B)

Towed by a Whale (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

A whale-hunting adventure.

Stray Leaves from a Whaleman's Log, by James Temple Brown (Century Magazine, 1893A)

Life aboard a whaling ship.

Life on a Greenland Whaler, by A. Conan Doyle (The Strand, 1897A)

Other Seafaring Jobs

The Ship Surgeon (Leisure Hour, 1860)

Life-Boat Services (Leisure Hour, 1868)

How We Got Frank Off to Sea, by Phillis Browne (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1875)

An interesting look at the steps involved in training a boy to become a sailor, along with a list of the clothing and other articles required (with their costs) for a boy about to set off as a cadet on a training ship.

Jack Ashore: New Style, by Lewis Hough (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1876)

Homes for sailors whilst ashore, offering the advantage that "the newly-landed sailor, instead of going off with a crimp - who, if he does not hocus and rob him, is sure to fleece him of all he has in a more legitimate manner - has merely to get a cab and drive to the Home, enter his name, lodge his chest in his cabin, and then, if his wages have not as yet been paid, the house steward will make him an advance not exceeding twenty shillings. When he gets his pay, he is invited to lodge it with the cashier, instead of leaving it in his cabin, or carrying it in his very leaky pockets."

The Work of the Light-Vessels (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1881)

We've all heard of light-houses, but Britain also employed a fleet of "light-vessels" that served the same purpose.

A Cruise in a Pilot Boat (Century Magazine, 1882A)

The task of pilot boats was to guide larger vessels in and out of New York harbor. Domestic coastal vessels could decline the service, but it was mandatory for international shipping.

Going to Sea - A Talk with Boys, by Frank H. Converse (St. Nicholas, 1882A)

Whether and how to go to see - and if one has not the aptitude for it, the author has one word: Don't.

Seals and Seal-Hunting in the North Atlantic, by Ernest Ingersoll (St. Nicholas, 1882B)

Our Sailors and Ships (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1884)

Adventure with a Seal (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

A seal-hunting experience.

A Hovelling Job (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

Here's a challenge - try to find a definition of "hoveling" that fits this article! Turns out "hovelling" meant to get a ship loose from a sandbar; it was a form of salvage, usually with a bounty, so "hovelling luggers" competed for the right to tug stranded ships from the bars.

A Privateersman's Log (Pictorial Museum of Sport & Adventure, ca. 1890)

Seals and Sealskins, by Willoughby Maycock (English Illustrated Magazine, 1890A)

How seals are "harvested" in the Pribylov Islands, along with a look at the natural history of the seal.

Life on the South Shoal Lightship, by Gustav Kobbe (Century Magazine, 1891B)

A lightship was a sort of floating lighthouse.

Life in a Lighthouse (Minot's Ledge), by Gustav Kobbe (Century Magazine, 1894A)

Daily life in a Massachusetts lighthouse.

People Who Face Death: Lifeboat Men, by A.E. Bonser (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

Pilots, by Alfred Story (The Strand, 1894B)

A Night on a Lightship, by Herbert Russell (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1894)

A look at what life was like on board one of England's "floating lighthouses."

Divers and Their Work, by Framley Steelcroft (The Strand, 1895B)

Do Boys Go to Sea? by F.M. Holmes (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

The answer apparently is no - leading to a growing shortage of sailors for the Mercantile Marine.

People Who Face Death: Divers, by A.E. Bonser (Cassell's Family Magazine, 1895)

Smacksmen's Stories, by Arthur E. Copping (Windsor Magazine, 1898B)

See also

• Business: Fishing & Fisheries

• Military: The British Navy