During the Middle Ages, the people of Öland fished a lot of herring. The most important fishing-villages were Sikavarp in the parish of Bredsättra on eastern Öland and Kyrkhamn on the southern cape. These villages flourished in the 12th, 13th and 14th century. There was an abundance of herring at this time. At the villages, the fish would be taken ashore, cleaned and salted. During this period, Sikavarp became the most important commercial place on Öland.
There were fishermen working full time. Very likely though, ordinary peasants fished at certain times of the year in order to make an additional living.
The fishermen lived in simple huts with earthen floors and simple walls and roofs. As time went by, they started to build permanent dwellings where they could stay all year round. Chapels were erected both at Kyrkhamn and at Sikavarp. These were used at fairs and national holidays. On those occasions, the little villages would become very crowded and busy.
The fishing yielded a good and safe income to many people - to the fishermen, of course, but also to the Bishop of Linköping, who had great influence over Sikavarp. The abundance of herring, however, disappeared just as suddenly as it had come. During the second part of the 14th century there was a decrease and in the 15th century, the era of the herring fishery ended. For some time Sikavarp survived as a trading-centre. It also served as a place of worship for St. Birgitta.