66 THE HERRING IN HISTORY 



seatic trade in England, the " Almaines " or 

 " men of Almeny " of the old chroniclers, 

 assisting to put down Rett's rebellion in 

 Norwich in the reign of Edward VI. 



Herring fishing on the coast of Scania is now 

 almost extinct. The fish with their keen sense 

 of hearing and sight and from their dislike of 

 the noise and movement caused by the traffic 

 in the Sound, have migrated westward. The 

 great whale fisheries of Greenland have had 

 something to do with the change, since, owing 

 to the reduction in the numbers of whales, 

 or to their being chased away by whale 

 hunters, they are no longer there to pursue the 

 shoals of herrings, or frighten them into taking 

 shelter in the Sound. 



The main object of the Hansard trade with 

 Denmark, Sweden and Norway was the herring, 

 and this brought many industries in its train. 

 It gave rise to trade in cloth, linen, hardware, 

 wine and beer with the natives of Scandinavia, 

 who were ignorant of handicrafts. 



In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, 

 from July 25th to September 29th of each year 

 the extreme south-western part of the Swedish 

 coast was alive with fishermen and merchants. 

 Temporary taverns were set up by Liibeck 

 tavern keepers, German coopers made barrels 

 for the herrings, and a large trade in imported 

 salt was carried on with Germany. Thousands 

 of men and women were hard at work fishing, 

 salting and packing the herring, as on the 



