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Dieren en planten

Decapods   Prawns and shrimp   Brown Shrimp   Prawns   

Mens en Milieu

Fisheries by sort   Shrimp fisheries   
Shrimp boat, Ecomare

Shrimp fisheries

Shrimp are caught along the North Sea coast and in the Wadden Sea. The international wadden fleet consists of around 500 vessels equipped for catching shrimp. The catches have grown substantially since 1995. Shrimp fishing gear doesn't churn up the sea floor. Therefore marine animals living in the bottom survive a drag from a shrimp net. However, scientists suspect that vulnerable animals living on the surface, such as tube worms and young mussels, are damaged to some degree. Furthermore, other animals are also caught. Special modifications to the nets and sieving techniques on board ensure that the majority of the bycatch survives the adventure.

  • World travelers before landing at the store
    Shrimp fishing gear, groundrope and net , Ecomare

    Shrimp fishing takes place the whole year round although most of the shrimp are caught in the spring and autumn. Just like flatfish, shrimp are caught with a beam trawl. However, instead of using tickler chains they use a groundrope with bobbins which roll over the bottom to startle the shrimp. Once on board, the shrimp are boiled, washed and stored in a cooler for transport to the fish auction. They still must be peeled. Usually, the unpeeled shrimp are transported over land to countries such as Poland and Morocco where the salaries are much lower. The cleaned shrimp return to the Netherlands per truck.

  • Varying results
    Graph of shrimp catches, Source:CBS-statline

    Up till 1995, there were not many shrimp to catch along the coast and in the Wadden Sea. Since 1995, the catches rose explosively. The fishermen brought so much shrimp on shore that the prices fell below the cost price. Since then, the shrimp fishermen wrestled with the question of whether or not to limit the supply to keep the shrimp fisheries rewarding.

  • Consequences for nature
    Euro cutter in the Marsdiep., Ecomare

    The shrimp fisheries are not generally considered a big threat to nature. The sea bottom is hardly churned up, so the influence on the benthic fauna is slight. Since the end of the 20th century, the fishermen work with selective fishing methods and modified nets. Even young flatfish which used to be caught as bycatch are spared. It is not well known as to what impact the shrimp fisheries have on the food supply for tidal flat fauna.