Norfish 24 Dutch North Sea Cod Fishery 1520–1810

Dutch sources distinguish between cod fishing in the North Sea and the fishing efforts off the coast of Iceland. The North Sea cod fishing effort for the Dutch was never at the scale of the Dutch herring fishery which at its peak at the beginning of the 17th century totalled nearly 80,000 metric tonnes per annum. In comparison, the Dutch North Sea cod fishery managed just over 21,000 metric tonnes at its peak in 1622.The explanation for this disparity may lie in the negotiating power of the two fleets during the Dutch Golden Age (final decade of the 16th century until the middle of the 17th century) and beyond. Herring fishers, who provided what was arguably one of the largest contributions to the Dutch coffers during the Golden Age made various pleas for financial assistance from the state which eventually culminated in a “premie” (premium) of 600 guilders per vessel per season for deep sea fishing, coupled with a one guilder bonus for each ton (close to one metric tonne) of herring caught. Shoreline herring fishers received a 200 guilders “premie”, while cod fishers operating off the coast of Iceland received 500 guilders “premie”. In stark contrast, the North Sea cod fishers do not appear to have received any form of bounty or bonus.荷兰史料将北海鳕鱼捕捞与冰岛沿岸捕捞活动明确区分。荷兰的北海鳕鱼捕捞规模，从未达到17世纪初达至巅峰的荷兰鲱鱼渔业的量级——后者巅峰时期年捕捞总量近8万公吨。相较之下，荷兰北海鳕鱼捕捞业在1622年达到峰值时，年产量仅略超2.1万公吨。 这种差距的成因，或许可追溯至荷兰黄金时代（16世纪末最后十年至17世纪中叶）及此后两支捕捞船队的议价能力差异。作为荷兰黄金时代国库收入最重要贡献来源之一的鲱鱼捕捞从业者，曾多次向国家申请财政援助，最终促成了深海捕捞渔船每艘每季600盾的“补贴金（premie）”政策，以及每捕捞1吨（接近1公吨）鲱鱼额外发放1盾奖金的激励措施。沿岸鲱鱼捕捞者可获得200盾的补贴金，而在冰岛沿岸作业的鳕鱼捕捞者则可获得500盾的补贴金。与之形成鲜明对比的是，北海鳕鱼捕捞从业者似乎未获得任何形式的赏金或补贴。