For hundreds of years the Norwegian coastline, with its many natural shielded harbours, has been dotted with small fishing villages and lonely farms, most of them with one or more small or larger boat houses sitting right on the water's edge. Smaller boats could be stored in these houses when not in use, but primarily they were used for storing fishing equipment like nets and longlines. This was also, - and still partly is, - the workplace for maintaining and mending the fishing gear, and also baiting the hooks of the longline before going out to sea.
Some owners of these waterfront houses, - mainly at established trading posts, but also elsewhere, - bought the fish from the boats coming back in, processed the herring and cod and stored it till it was ready to be transported to a larger city and sold on. This processing provided welcome work for women and older children during the high seasons.
Since virtually all transport of fish, and also other goods, was done by boat, a waterfront with mooring space and easy loading from boat to warehouses and vice versa was a must for a trading town. Previously women and children were occupied helping