Herring

Herring, Clupea harengus

Coloured pencil on paper

Artist: Moritz Weber

Herring, mostly belonging to the family Clupeidae, often move in large schools around fishing banks and near the coast, particularly in shallow, temperate waters. Herring played a pivotal role in the history of marine fisheries in Europe with a long history as an important food fish, often salted, smoked, or pickled. I does therefore not come as a surprise that Herring has been exposed to a lot of fishing pressure over the last decades. Currently its status is labelled sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council although discussions are ongoing to possibly withdraw the label if policy makers do not introduce more credible harvest control rules.