Programme 2
Herring - Introduction
IntroductionThe early history of the Herring fishery around Wales
South Wales and the Severn Sea
Cardigan Bay
North Wales
- Herring
The herring is only a small fish, but it's had a major influence on mankind in general, and on Wales in particular through the ages.
Herrings are streamlined, beautifully coloured fish, with silvery sides and deep-blue backs. They have small heads and the adults range from 20 to 38 centimetres in length (8 to 15 inches). The fish mature in about four years and can live as long as 20 years.
Herring swim at or near the surface of the sea, feeding on plankton. Although they roam far from the shore in search of their food, huge shoals of herring can be found in shallower waters during their spawning time. The fish always return to their place of birth to reproduce; most species usually spawn in spring or autumn, although each species is different and some spawn in summer or winter.
The fisherman's best chance of catching the herring is at spawning time, or when the fish feed on the surface at night. The herring come closest to shore when the moon is new. The herring can swim in massive shoals, up to two miles wide and four miles long, attracting larger marine predators such as cod and porpoises, as well as fishermen.
Typically, the fishermen would drift with the incoming tide, catching herring in massive nets. They might have up to 25 nets each 50 feet long, connected to each other to form a long wall of netting. The fishing would be carried out at night or in the early morning, when the herring would come inshore and rise close to the surface to feed.
9:00PM Tuesday
Repeated on S4C Digidol 9:00PM Saturday
with English Subtitles