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Dieren en planten

Jackknife clams   Razor shells   

Water en land

Southern North Sea   Coastal zone   
Razor shells at a market in Valencia, Ecomare, Oscar Bos

Razor shell fisheries

Razor shells are being fished in a few places in the North Sea. Gert Lont from Hippolytushoef took the initiative in 1995. Using a specially designed cutter, he digs down to 15 centimeters to fish the razor shells. Lont fished up to 1000 kilograms of the American razor shell per day. At the beginning of 1998, the company 'Ensis BV' from Kamperland was granted a patent for a special method for fishing these shellfish.

  • Along the coast but not on the flats
    Razor shell, foto fitis, sytske dijksen

    Razor shells are allowed to be fished in the North Sea coastal zone but not in the Wadden Sea where only shrimp, mussels and cockles are permitted to be fished. New forms of fisheries are forbidden in accordance with the Nature Protection Act. However, such limiting regulations are not operative for the North Sea coastal zone.
    Environmentalists are concerned about possible damage by the razor shell fisheries to the sea bottom in valuable coastal zones. The Ministry of Nature (LNV) announced that the license policy will be sharpened, but this can only happen formally when it is clear about the protective status of the coastal zone.