Introduction

This chapter presents a reconstruction of the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of the Dutch herring fishery, approx. 1600-1850. This is the longest time series of CPUE ever compiled.

The CPUE time series is constructed by using historical data of a very homogenous nature from this entire period. This enables the standardization of all main units of catch and effort. The CPUE is analysed at three different levels: 1) catch per boat per year, 2) catch per boat per day at sea for each fishing trip and 3) catch per boat per day at sea over the entire season. This is supported by analyses of the average length of individual fishing trips as well as the average length of the entire season. The standardized CPUE in combination with the length of the examined period makes the time series suitable to test current marine biology theories on the natural variations of North Sea herring against the background of a historical fishery.

From a historical point of view, this chapter proposes that historical catch rates certainly played an important part in the 250-year rise and fall of the Dutch herring fishery in the mid 18th century, and especially the first half of the 19th century. Catch rates per day at sea for individual vessels during the whole of each fishing season also allow for an assessment of the fishing strategy for each season. The annual catch per boat was by and large stable, while the average length of individual fishing trips varied with the success rate of the fishery. The better the catches were, the shorter was the trip.

The College van de Grote Visserij

The privileged towns forming the College van de Grote Visserij upheld a monopoly on the landing of salted herring in the Netherlands until the 1850s, and these 250 years have left a large amount of documents in Dutch archives enabling a historical reconstruction. The technological and institutional factors that affected the fishery can be standardised, as the College regulated the size and use of fishing gear, driftnets, and the length of the season. Regulations are common features in the management of modern fisheries resources. The main purpose of the College van de Grote Visserij was to uphold the quality of the top brand of salted herring in Europe.