With any luck, a barrel of ‘matjes’ will be outrageously expensive at auction in the Netherlands port of Scheveningen when the herring season opens on 17 July 2025. But the lucky bidder for that first barrel will see his or her funds go not to a vessel’s owner and crew but to charity. By long-standing tradition, the auction in Scheveningen donates to a deserving cause the proceeds of the fishing year’s first barrel of its famous cured herring, called in Dutch Hollandse Nieuwe, or Matjes herring. Matjes herring uses young fish that have yet to reach sexual maturity, resulting in a particularly mild herring cured in a brine, using a process going back to the Middle Ages. The donation is a contribution to the spirit of the community, and the charity will be announced as the date of the auction approaches.
The start date [of the season] is aligned with the natural process in which the herring reaches the desired fat percentage for the characteristic taste that the matjes is known for, says the Dutch Herring Wholesale Association. With the motto “The taste of tradition, captured in the present”, the industry is joining with partners inside and outside the fishing sector this year. By entering into new partnerships with parties that share our passion for the Hollandse Nieuwe, we not only want to draw attention to the start of the season, but also ensure greater appreciation for this product across the board, says Lisa Koopman of the Dutch Fish Bureau. The industry is presenting a documentary about the story of the herring this year, to advance the public’s knowledge and appreciation for the product. In addition, it is developing various activities such as herring parties, aimed at young people, who the industry sees as their future as well as the next generation of consumers.