There has been fishing at Fisherrow and Musselburgh since Roman times, and the present 18th-century harbour is very close to the Roman harbour at the mouth of the River Esk that served the Inveresk Roman Fort on the high ground east of the Esk upriver.
In 1939, the Firth of Forth became a strategic area for the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force, and fishing activities were curtailed.