Introduction

This chapter presents an overview of the long-term trends in terms of trading patterns for salted herring in the area of the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and their respective hinterlands in the period between approx. 1600-1850. The market is defined as ‘the interaction between supply and demand to determine the market price and corresponding quantity bought and sold.’ In this period the north European herring market underwent several changes. These changes are analysed from four different perspectives:

The first main section examines the main trading routes for herring in Northern Europe on the basis of records from the Sound toll registers as well as accounts of herring imports in the German North Sea and Baltic cities. Subsequently, a number of price series for various parts of northern Europe provide indications as to the long-term development of herring prices. This is followed up by an analysis of the consumption patterns for salted herring, and an evaluation of the influence of mercantilist policies. The area under review and most of the towns mentioned in this chapter feature on the map in figure 6.1.

Markets

The Dutch herring production and exports all over Europe in the 17th century provide an indication of the scope of the European herring trade. By the time the salted herring came ashore, the content had usually shrunk. In order to control the quality of the landed product and make optimal use of the empty space in the barrels, the entire cargo would be repackaged. Therefore, the barrels containing the finished product ready for export contained 12 barrels per last against the 14 barrels per last landed by the fishing vessel. Packed in barrels, the finished product could be easily transported over large distances, and the cured salted herring could last for a long time. As the prime product, all the salted herring from the North Sea area was processed and barrelled so it was easy to transport. But where did all the salted herring go in the 17th and 18th centuries?

Dutch historian Kranenburg calculated that in the heyday of the Dutch herring trade during the first half of the 17th century approx. 80% of all salted herring was exported to other countries, and only 20% was consumed in the Dutch Republic.