De Hollandse haringvisserij tijdens de Vroegmoderne Tijd

Abstract

The herring fisheries formed an important part of Holland's economy during the early modern period. However, the available catch data is scattered and there is an abundance of explanations about the fall of Holland's herring fisheries during the seventeenth century. The present article brings together the existing data and adds new archival sources so that a complete catch series for Holland's herring fisheries could be constructed. An analysis of this data shows that Holland had two very different herring producing regions: the towns along the Maas river in the South and the herring fisheries centered on Enkhuizen in the North. Warfare, privateers, new investment opportunities and scarcity on the labour market were probably the most important causes leading to the decline of Holland's herring fisheries during the seventeenth century.