How much herring we eat each year

On a soft white bun or straight from the hand, plain or with onion and gherkin. We Dutch get through quite a lot of herring. Curious whether you’re above or below the national average?

Since this year, no herring has been caught by Dutch vessels, bringing a centuries-old tradition to an end. Fortunately, the Norwegians and the Danes make sure we get our herring fix. Norway supplies 65 percent of our herring, while Denmark supplies 30 percent. Aren’t we lucky to have such generous northern neighbours? Add some onion and gherkin and tuck in!

76,000,000
While Dutch fishermen supplied 86 million kilos of herring in 2011, which at the time amounted to 5.2 kilos per person, our northern neighbours now supply 76 million herrings per year. That’s an average of 4.5 herrings per Dutch person. The Germans are happily joining in with no fewer than 90 million herrings, while the Belgians get through 14 million per year.