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Dieren en planten

Water en land

Mens en Milieu

Drift net fisheries   Herring net fisheries   
Herring net fisheries, Ecomare

Herring net fisheries

The herring fisheries in the North Sea, using herring nets, has existed now for centuries. However, other fish species which swim freely in the water colomn, such as sprat and anchovies, were also caught with herring nets. The nets were long, finely meshed drift nets which were linked together and hung vertically from floats in the water. The gills of the herring would tangle in the mesh, and the fishermen would haul nets full of herring on board as fresh as possible. Undersized fish were able to escape through the mesh.

  • Drifts and sinks

    There were two types of herring nets used: the drift net and the sink net. The drift net hung around 4 to 18 meters under the water surface. Herring swimming close to the surface when evening fell were caught with this kind of net. Herring do this because zooplankton, food for herring, drift to the water surface when it gets dark.

    Later in the season, the herring are full with milt or roe. In other words, fish sperm and eggs. The herring no longer swim so close to the surface. That is when the fishermen used the sink nets. This line of drift nets was 'hung' 14 to 28 meters under the sea surface.

  • Rise and fall of the herring net fisheries in the North Sea

    The first dependable reference to herring catches in the North Sea dates back to 1163. It is quite certain that this had to be a form of driftnet fisheries. The heyday of the herring fisheries continued with the discovery of herring curing around 1395. Herring curing is cleaning and salting the fish directly on board. For centuries to follow, catching North Sea herring with herring nets was one of the most important sources of protein for the less well-to-do Dutchmen. Holland herring also became an important export product. In the middle of the 17th century, the Dutch herring fleet consisted of around 700 herring busses (boats). These large sailing vessels had their main home ports in Brielle, Vlaardingen, Maassluis, Rotterdam, Delfshaven, Enkhuizen and de Rijp.

    Other North Sea countries also fished herring in the North Sea with the help of drift nets. Fishing herring using herring nets only ended after 1945. More modern ships with pelagic trawls started to replace them. The drift nets from these ships are pulled freely through the water coloum. Stern trawl fisheries cost much less labor than herring net fisheries, which made investments into pelagic trawlers more attractive. Fishing herring in the North Sea using a herring net ended in 1969.

  • Present applications of herring net fisheries

    Herring net fisheries are still done around Iceland when fishing for herring. This is especially because other fishing methods (trawls and purse seins) are bound to very strict rules. The herring net fishery technique has been significantly modernized in the past decades.

    Furthermore, fishing with fine-meshed drift nets is still done a lot by coastal fishermen in third world countries. Here the labor-intensive character of this fishing technique is less objectionable and the sustainable character (maintaining fishing populations) much more important.