Lyber village and the harbour began as a planned village in 1802 by the local landowner, General Patrick Sinclair. Further development of the harbour facilities began with a wooden pier in the 1790s and continued at intervals throughout the 1800s. The harbour continued to be expanding for bigger and bigger fleets of boats. By 1859 there were 357 boats fishing from Lybster, making it the third busiest port in Scotland. The industry employed 1,500 fishermen and more people on land.
To find out more about the history of the village you can visit the Watelines visitor centre (in the old harbour buildings) which also has a cafe.