Had it not been for the herring, it is unlikely that a settlement would have been made at Yarmouth at so early a date. So necessary had the industry become to the nation's welfare by 1386, that in that year Richard 2nd exempted all east Coast herring fishers from feudal services.

The Dutch soon began to forge ahead of all rivals, and the treaty of 1494, allowing them to fish off the Yarmouth coast, further increased their advantage. Ill feeling against the Dutch became prevalent, for as their fleets increased in size, they carried Yarmouth herring to all parts of Europe, catching them under the very noses of local men.

As a result of the tight blockage of Europe in the Napoleonic Wars, Holland lost her fishing and trade monopolies, and the Scots, with fishing methods similar to those of the Dutch, seized their opportunity to capture foreign markets. In 1913 no less than 1,163 Scottish boats came down to Yarmouth and caught between them 2,448,143 hundredweight of fish. About 87% of the catch was exported to Germany and Russia.

During the Second World war catches were bad and the industry was even brought to a standstill. Since 1945 however, it has made a surprising recovery, although it is extremely unlikely that the town will ever again see as many fisher girls as in the past. It is worth stating that in 1948 catches amounted to 294,313 crans, valued at £1,000,000.