L4 
BULLETIN OF THE UNITED STATES FISH COMMISSION. 
THE DUTCH HERRING FISHERY. 
Vlaardingen, situated on the Maas, a few miles below Rotterdam, is the center 
of the Dutch herring trade. There the herring boats fit out, there they land their 
catch, and there are the houses in which the fish are prepared for shipment. 
The herring fishery is conducted by steam and sail vessels, which use tanned 
cotton gill nets 360 meshes deep and 720 meshes long, the size of mesh being 2-inch 
stretch. From 80 to 150 nets are carried by each vessel, this outfit usually costing 
from 5,000 to 7,000 guilders. The nets are set about 6 feet below the surface, being 
held in position by leads and by corks (5 inches long, 3 inches wide, and 2 inches 
thick) at intervals of a foot, the cork line being attached to the top of the net by 
numerous gangings 8 inches long. At times, when the herring are close inshore, 
some surface fishing is done. 
The dressing and salting of the fish immediately after the nets are hauled on 
the vessels are considered of great importance by the Dutch herring fishermen, and 
no doubt contribute largely to the quality of the cured fish. 
The Dutch method of cleaning herring is similar to the Scotch. Provided with 
a short knife, attached to the fourth and fifth fingers of the right hand by a string 
tied to the handle, the fishermen take the herring in the left hand, with the belly 
up and the head forward, and thrust the knife crosswise directly through the gill 
cavities, entering the left side and emerging from the right. The edge of the knife 
being turned upward or outward, the knife is pulled directly through the tissues, 
cutting and tearing away the gills, branchiostegals, heart, oesophagus, stomach, and 
often a part of the intestines; the pectoral fins, with the skin and muscle at their 
base, also come away with the same movement. There is apparently little effort 
made to remove anything except the gills and pectorals, the other organs coming 
away incidentally. The men become very expert in cutting, and some of them can 
handle 1 ,200 fish per hour (20 per minute). 
The removal of the gills and heart results in opening the large blood vessels, and 
free bleeding ensues; this leaves the flesh pale or white, in contrast with the dark 
reddish color of the Scotch herring, in which the blood is allowed to clot. It some- 
times happens in the Dutch fishery that when there is a large catch the blood has 
clotted in the last fish handled. The chief and only genuine benefits of cutting as 
now practiced are the bleeding and the opening of the abdominal cavity to the brine. 
Some herring examined by me as brought in by the fishing vessels at Vlaardingen 
contained pyloric cieca and part of the intestines, as well as the liver and reproductive 
organs. The intestine, with or without the cseca, often hangs outside the wound 
made with the dressing knife; it is called the “zeele” (soul), and is frequently eaten 
by the packers of salt fish, being regarded a choice morsel. 
The packing of herring is done w'hile the vessels are still at sea. The fish are 
first rolled in salt and then carefully packed in straight rows, with backs down. 
The fish in a given layer are at right angles to those of adjoining layers. One barrel 
of St. Ubes salt is required to pack four barrels of herring at sea, the salt being- 
disposed between the layers of fish. The barrels are headed up and stored in the 
hold until the fishing trip is ended or all the barrels filled. On reaching port the 
catch is unloaded and sold at auction. 
