Herring

choi

Herring’s history | Net Worth; The slippery little fish plays an outsized role in many different cultures. Economist, Sept 5, 2015
http://www.economist.com/news/bo ... -cultures-net-worth
(book review on Donald Murray, Herring Tales; How the silver darlings shaped human taste and history. Bloomsbury, 2015)

My comment:
(a) "as a cheap source of protein it [herring] is hard to beat, and herring-fishing was a way of life for many communities around the North Atlantic from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century."
(i) herring
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herring
(They often move in large schools; section 1 Species: length; section 3 Life cycle)
(ii) Pacific Herring. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), US Department of Commerce, undated
http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/pr ... acific-herring.html
([section heading:] Distribution)

Taiwan does not have or eat it, so we do not have a name for it. However, I fail to find Chinese eat it, or have a name for it -- rather than 鲱 to denote Atlantic herring.

(b) "The fish later tarried for long enough around Scotland to become an important part of the country’s income."

tarry (vi): "to abide or stay in or at a place"
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarry

Collins dictionary gives it an equivalent: "LINGER."

(c) "The fish’s culinary charms extend far beyond kippers and rollmops. * * * Even more of an acquired taste is the foul-smelling fermented herring, called surstromming, which Swedes have relished since at least the 16th century.
(i) kipper
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kipper
(ii)
(A) rollmop (n; from German Rollmops; first known use: early 20th century): "a rolled uncooked pickled herring fillet"
www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/rollmop
(B) But en.wikipedia.org has it spelled pplural, but says singular form is acceptable. See rollmops
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rollmops
(Rollmops are pickled herring fillets, rolled (hence the name) into a cylindrical shape, often around a savoury filling; "In English, the term 'rollmops' is often treated as the plural of a supposed singular 'rollmop.' The form 'rollmop herrings' is also attested"/

(d)
(i) Why do I never see fresh herring in American supermarkets, and never eat it as dish or soup after three decades in US?

Atlantic Herring. Fishchoice.com, undated
www.fishchoice.com/buying-guide/atlantic-herring
(Sourcing Summary: Size 5-9 in; "Fresh herring have a short shelf life, around five days from capture, and should be sold immediately after purchasing. Atlantic herring has a high oil content and a soft, fine texture when cooked fresh. It is also sold cured with smoke, salt, or other spices. Herring are highly perishable so most are sold canned and frozen as whole fish, and as skin-on, bone-in fillet. Some fresh Atlantic herring are sold in wholesale markets in large metropolitan areas on the East Coast. Atlantic herring are caught mostly between May and October off the U.S. and Canada but canned and frozen herring are available year-round")
(ii) pickled herring
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickled_herring
(has become a part of Baltic, Nordic (Inlagd sill), Dutch, German (Bismarckhering), Czech (zavináč), Polish (śledzie w occie), Eastern Slavic, Scottish and Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine)