The Fishery Board, the Fishcurers and the German Merchants 1809-1881
This part of the website deals with the early development of the market, and the way in which the
Fishery Board, with the active co-operation of German merchants, twice fought off ideologically
motivated attempts to abolish the herring brand. The information which was provided by the German
merchants provides an insight into how the trade operated on the Continent, and how they interacted
with the Scottish fishcurers.
Both attempts to abolish the brand were unsuccessful. The Secretary to the Board, Bouverie
Francis Primrose, was
influential on both occasions. Prior to the first attempt, he ensured that a letter written by
Alexander
Wellmann, a
Stettin merchant, was published in the board's annual report, and he was able to rely on the
support
of James Methuen,
a powerful and influential fishcurer. At the time of the second attempt, he was able to enlist
the
support of William Reid,
a Scot who had established himself as a herring merchant in Stettin.