Scottish

Herring

There are few other fish that have played such an important role in the cultural and economic development of Scotland than the herring. Known as the ‘silver darlings’, in the 19th century, the Scottish fishery had become the leading fishery in the world. 

With advances in curing techniques to preserve the fish, the importance of herring as a foodstuff and revenue generator was immense and boats packed into harbours all around the Scottish coast. In the 1860s, there were around 9,000 vessels engaged in the fishery.

Over-exploitation led to a complete closure of the herring fishery in the late 1970s and early 1980s to enable the stock to recover. Happily, the stock has recovered well and herring are once again abundant around our shores. The North Sea herring fishery was first MSC certified on 15th July 2008, and the most recent re-certification was on 16th October 2022, with the next recertification due in 2027.