OBSERVATIONS ON THE HERRING FISHERIES OF ENGLAND, SCOTLAND, 
AND HOLLAND. 
By HUGH M. SMITH. 
The herring ( Clupea Inarengus) has justly been called the “king of fishes.” 
Although its importance is now relatively less than it was several centuries ago, it is 
to-day a leading fish in the United States, Canada, Newfoundland, England, Scotland, 
Ireland, Holland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Russia. A species very similar to 
that of the Atlantic Ocean is found in the North Pacific Ocean, and is caught in 
large cpiantities in Japan and Alaska. In point of number of individual fish taken 
for market, no species exceeds the herring. The annual value of the herring fish- 
eries is about 125,250,000, representing 1,500,000,000 pounds of fish. 
In 1900 the writer visited the principal herring-fishing centers of England, Scot- 
land, and Holland. The following notes, based on the observations then made and 
the information there collected, are presented chiefly because of the large consump- 
tion of European herrings in the United States and because of the desirability of 
applying the foreign fishing and preserving methods to the herring industry on our 
east and west coasts. No attempt is made herein to furnish a complete account of 
the herring fisheries of the countries mentioned. 
The writer was very courteously assisted in his inquiries by the following persons, 
to whom special acknowledgments are due: Mr. Charles E. Fryer, London, one of 
the three Government inspectors having jurisdiction over the fisheries of England 
and Wales; Mr. W. C. Robertson, Edinburgh, secretary of the fishery board for 
Scotland; Mr. J. R. Nutman, of Great Yarmouth, England; Mr. James Ingram, Gov- 
ernment fishery officer, Aberdeen, Scotland; Mr. E. A. Man, United States consular 
agent at Schiedam, Holland, and Messrs. C. Van der Burg & Son, Ylaardingen, 
Holland. 
Although the capture of herring is already one of the leading fisheries of the 
United States, the writer believes that the industry may be increased and the trade 
made more profitable by the adoption of foreign methods with a view (1) to supply 
from local fisheries the very large quantities of pickled herring now imported from 
Europe and Canada, and (2) to open a large trade with southern Europe and other 
regions. 
The following letter from Mr. F. F. Dirnick, secretary of the Boston Fish 
Bureau, dated April 7, 1900, is pertinent to this subject: 
The herring imported from Norway, Holland, and Scotland are of a different quality from 
the herring found on our coast. They are fatter, and great care is taken of the fish when caught 
and in packing them. The herring caught on our coast of the same size are not so fat. Our 
fishermen generally find a good demand for their herring at from $1.50 to $3.50 per barrel fresh for 
1 
F. C. B. 1902— X 
