Arbroath today is best known for its ties to the fishing industry. After the harbours of the 14th–18th centuries had given way in 1839 to a larger one, the council sought fishermen willing to migrate to Arbroath to take advantage of the facilities. It took on men in nearby Auchmithie and further afield, including Shetland. The industry grew. In peak years up to 1980 some 40 whitefish and pelagic vessels worked from Arbroath, employing hundreds on board and hundreds more ashore to service vessels and process the fish. Quota cuts and decommissioning took their toll in Scotland from the 1980s to present. Arbroath remains a whitefish port open for landing shellfish. There is now only one vessel working regularly from Arbroath; a further three Arbroath-owned vessels work from Aberdeen and ports further north. Fish processing remains a big employer, but the fish come from Aberdeen, Peterhead and even Iceland, Norway and Ireland.