86 THE HERRING IN HISTORY 



exclusive right to fish on their own coasts, and 

 in 1410 WiUiam, Earl of Holland, was assist- 

 ing the Dutch to make reprisals against the 

 Scots for having ill-treated Dutch fishermen 

 who had attempted to catch herring on the 

 Scottish coasts. A few years later (1423) the 

 following export duties upon herrings were 

 imposed by King James I. : — 



Herrings, per thousand . . . . . .Id. 



Salted herrings in barrels taken by natives, 



per last 4s. 



Salted herrings in barrels taken by foreign- 

 ers, per last 6s. 



Red herring cured in Scotland, per 



thousand 4d. 



The fishing was for the most part in the Dee, 

 Tay, Forth and Tweed, the Dutch being the 

 chief buyers. Many ships of France, Flanders, 

 Zeeland, Holland and Almany (Germany), 

 loaded with Scottish herring sailed to the 

 Mediterranean to sell the fish for Lent. By 

 1447 the fish were known in Rome as Flemish 

 herrings, although most were of English origin, 

 Loch Fyne producing herring in " mair plenti 

 than ony seis of Albion," the fish having left 

 Inverness, which had hitherto been blessed with 

 " grit plenti." The Scottish industry seems, 

 however, not to have suffered as a whole from 

 this migration, for we find that in 1474 James III. 

 passed various laws regarding the fitting out 

 of ships, busses, and great pink boats with nets 

 for the herring fishing. 



