| Administrative History | The Association was established in May 1888, as Aberdeen Fish Trade Association, and was incorporated with its present title in 1944. It began in response to the introduction of sales by auction in the late nineteenth century, its first achievement being an agreement amongst fish sellers to provide discounts for cash sales to accredited buyers. The purpose of this agreement was to "put the fish trade of Aberdeen on a more firm and substantial footing with regard to the paying of fish bought on the pier" and in particular, to exclude "the large number of bogus buyers who had not the means to pay for what they were bidding for, harassing the legitimate buyers and putting the trade in a very bad condition, hurtful alike to both seller and buye " (MS 3054/1). In 1936 its objectives were broadly defined "to promote and protect the interests of its members" (MS 3054/15). Membership was open to wholesale fish merchants and fish curers carrying on a business in Aberdeen, and in 1980 stood at more than 200. The Association is perhaps unique in that it manufactures boxes of cardboard and wood for member companies. |
| Description | This deposit provides a full record of the Association's activities for the period 1888 - 1947. It comprises minutes, May 1888 - Jun 1947, copy letter books, Sept 1936 - Oct 1942, cash books, 1889 - 1942, and printed Constitution and Standing Orders of the Association, Mar 1936. The minutes and letter books are of particular interest for the detailed information which they contain about the state of fishing and fish trade industries in Aberdeen, and nationally, from the late nineteenth century until the years immediately after the Second World War. They provide a record of the Association's relationships with related organisations, Trade Unions and the Ministry of Food, in matters such as fair trading, working conditions and pricing agreements. |
| Copyright | Subject to the condition of the original, copies may be supplied for private research use only on receipt of a signed undertaking to comply with current copyright legislation. Permission to make any published use of material from the collection must be sought in advance from the University Archivist and, where appropriate, from the copyright owner. Where possible, assistance will be given in identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material. |