"When is Fish Gold"

Fishing in the Village Urk -  

Unloading the vis (fish) and gear from the boats.  

Painted by Jacob Poulain 1971.  

(Painted from a picture in a Dutch magazine).

In the 1960’s vissing (fishing) was the main trade in Urk, they built big trawlers large enough to carry six men.  Small in our eyes today, but in comparison with their two-man small sailing boats this was large.  There were 300 boats in the harbour each with its own dock.

All the boats would go out to sea after midnight, they could not work on Sundays because of religious beliefs.  The vissermen (fishermen) would stay out on the seas for a whole week and return home on Fridays.  The women would be waiting on the wharf to greet them.  Sometimes a boat did not return, because it was caught in a storm and it’s precious cargo all drowned at sea, hundreds have died in this manner over the years, from this particular village.  The mood of the people would always be joyful, to have their men back home safe again and vis on the tafel (table).

The chest portrayed is used for carrying gear, but the Dutch magazine joked that because the trade was so properous, the men carried gold of the boat instead of fish.

There are all different docks where they repair and paint their boats.  The fish is unloaded, and taken to a large factory on the wharf, the vissermen would be paid, and the viss processed, exported and distributed through-out the land.  The woman would take home a pot or bucket full for her family, this is their treat.

The main viss were soles and herrings, a favourite Dutch delicacy is raw herrings pickled in vinegar called Roll-Mops sold in supermarkets globally (mmmmmm my mouth is watering), also zoute haring (salted herrings) wrapped in raw onions, would be eaten on the street corners sold from the street carts.  More about these later.