The harbour built at Portsoy in 1692 was a vast breakwater on the seaward side and a number of quays. Large stones were set vertically as it was said this made them less likely to be washed away by the sea. The Old Harbour can still be seen today and is mostly the harbour that was built in 1692.
Portsoy’s first harbour was considered to be the safest in the North East, which meant that it had a thriving trade with both England and the Continent.
A new harbour was built between 1825-28 to meet the demands of the herring boom and the volume of trade going through Portsoy. Throughout the nineteenth century a herring boom brought further prosperity to Portsoy, with a herring fleet totalling 57 boats at its peak.
The newer harbour was washed away in an extremely violent storm in January 1839 and was only rebuilt in 1884 to hold 12 vessels of 100 tons.
Today Portsoy's harbours are primarily used by pleasure craft and creel boats catching lobster and crab.