HERRING, in Ichthyology, a species of CLUPEA. The name herring is derived from the German heer, an army, which expresses their number, when they migrate into our seas. Herrings are found in great plenty from the highest northern latitudes as low as the northern coasts of France. They are also met with in vast shoals on the coast of America, as low as Carolina: they are found also in the sea of Kamtschatka, and possibly reach Japan: but their winter rendezvous is within the arctic circle, whither they retire after spawning, and where they are provided with plenty of insect food. For an account of the remarkable migration of herrings, and the history of the fishery, &c. see CLUPEA and Herring-Fishery.
They are in full race at the end of June, and continue Herring in perfection till the beginning of winter, when they begin to deposit their spawn.
There are different names given to preserved herrings, according to the different manners wherein they are ordered: as, 1. Sea-sticks; which are such as are caught all the fishing season, and are but once packed. A barrel of these holds six or eight hundred; eight barrels go to the ton by law; a hundred of herrings is to be a hundred and twenty; a last is ten thousand, and they commonly reckon fourteen barrels to the last. 2. There are others, repacked on shore, called repacked herrings; seventeen barrels of sea-sticks commonly make from twelve to fourteen of repacked herrings. The manner of repacking them is, to take out the herrings, wash them out in their own pickle, and lay them orderly in a fresh barrel: these have no salt put to them, but are close packed, and headed up by a firman cooper, with pickle, when the barrel is half full. The pickle is brine; so strong as that the herring will swim in it. 3. Summers, are such as the Dutch chasers or divers catch from June to the 15th of July. These are sold away in sea-sticks, to be spent presently, in regard of their fatness; because they will not endure repacking. They go one with another, full and shotten; but the repacked herrings are sorted, the full herrings by themselves. 4. The shotten and pick herrings by themselves; the barrel whereof is to be marked distinctly. 5. Crow herrings; which are such as are caught after the 14th of September. These are cured with that kind of salt called salt upon salt, and are carefully sorted out, all full herrings, and used in the repacking. 6. Corved herrings. These serve to make red herrings, being such as are taken in the Yarmouth seas, from the end of August to the middle of October; provided they can be carried ashore within a week, more or less, after they are taken. These are never gipped but rowed in salt, for the better preserving of them, till they can be brought on shore; and such as are kept to make red herrings are washed in great vats in fresh water, before they are hung up in the herring-hangs or red-herring houses.
As for the manner of salting herrings. The nets being haled on board, the fishes are taken out, and put into the warbacks, which stand on one side of the vessels. When all the nets are thus unloaded, one fills the gippers baskets. The gippers cut their throats, take out their guts, and fling out the full herrings into one basket, and the shotten into another. One man takes the full basket when they are gipped, and carries them to the rower-back, wherein there is salt. One boy rows and flirs them about in the salt, and another takes them, thus rowed, and carries them in baskets to the packers. Four men pack the herrings into one barrel, and lay them, one by one, straight and even; and another man, when the barrel is full, takes it from the packers. It is left to stand a day, or more, open to settle, that the salt may melt and dissolve to pickle; after which it is filled up, and the barrel headed. The pickle is to be strong enough to sustain a herring; otherwise the fish decay in it.