Drivers of Change in the European Herring Fisheries, c. Tenth–Twentieth Centuries

During the course of the 10^th century commercial fisheries for herring developed in the large marine ecosystem (LME) stretching from the English Channel to Norway – Europe’s herring zone. In 1977 the European Community issued a moratorium on fishing to prevent complete eradication of remaining North Sea herring stocks. This paper assesses the main drivers in a millennium of herring fisheries through analyses of ecology, technology, processing, consumption patterns and changes in infrastructure. Herring has been a staff of life for centuries – at significant ecological cost in the coastal seas of the herring zone. Keeping fresh for up to a year, salted herring in wooden barrels became a cornerstone in the bulk trade of Medieval Europe, where the shore based fisheries fulfilled needs until the 15^th century. During the 15^th century, the Skånor herring fishery between Sweden and Denmark (Europe’s largest) collapsed. This ecological disaster triggered the first factory ships for off-shore catching and processing. Fishing the North Sea, they catered to urban populations in The Low Countries and Germany. Beginning in the 1880s steam propulsion led to more efficient catches, and demand increased with the opening of new railroads into Russia. North Sea herring fisheries reached an all time peak by the 1910s.  During the 20^th century demand remained high, and sonar and large purse seines brought ruthless efficiency to the fishery, despite plummeting stocks. Focussing on an LME rather than nation states, this paper superimposes what we know about natural fluctuations in herring stocks with a time series of herring landings. It reveals the braided history of herrings’ reproduction and fishers’ production, and argues that Western European history in the last millennium has rested on extraordinary changes in the sea.