The new Dutch herring season officially opens on Wednesday, following the charity auction of the first barrel of Hollandse Nieuwe on Tuesday evening.

This year the quality of the fish is described as “excellent” and the catch is “nice and fat, creamy and perfectly ripened”, according to the Dutch fish board.

The first barrel, sold in aid of a school health charity, raised €89,500 and was bought by online fishmongers The Fishlovers.nl.

The season’s opening is traditionally followed by Vlaggetjesdag (day of the little flags), normally celebrated in the resort of Scheveningen on the following Saturday. But due to security measures for the upcoming Nato summit, the re-enactment of the arrival of the herring fleet cannot take place in the harbour this year.

Instead, a number of alternative events will take place in Scheveningen and The Hague on 20 June, including “the biggest herring party” and a sea shanty sing-along.

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Hollandse Nieuwe is the name given to young herring caught between mid-May and the end of June, with a body fat percentage of at least 16%. The fish are gutted and salted, but the pancreas — which contains an enzyme that helps the fish ripen — is left in place.

The Dutch eat some 76 million herring each year. Most are actually caught by the Norwegians, Swedes and the Danes and the last two Dutch trawlers gave up in 2013.