Known as the 'Silver of the Sea,' it was valued in the Middle Ages alongside gold and furs. This 'King of Fish' was the foundation not only of wealth but also of entire empires, which perished in his absence. The fish, which even sparked wars, is celebrated in paintings and portrayed in novels, plays, and poems. Even science has yet to uncover all the mysteries surrounding this important food fish, alongside cod and pollock. Holger Teschke, who can share personal experiences with herring fishing, narrates the natural and cultural history of this great and now critically endangered shoaling fish.