Age-old fishing tradition reels in modern tech to protect marine life
The waters around Koksijde are booming in seals and porpoises, and shore fishermen have been asked to use special nets to protect them
Eliminating by-catch
There are many reasons behind the evolution, according to Walter Wackenier of the conservancy organisation Natuurpunt Westkust. “The state of the marine environment has improved,” he says. “We see, for example, fewer oil leaks and illegal dumping. But climate change plays a role as well. Migration and breeding patterns of fish species are changing, and predatory marine mammals follow where they go.”
The increased number of mammals on the coast, however, means they are more likely to come into conflict with local fishermen. Seals and porpoises, for instance, often get caught in the nets, and die.
Measures are under way to help avoid this unwanted by-catch. Gillnets – vertical panels of netting placed in a line – have been banned for several years. And now a new regulation has just been put into place in Koksijde, requiring fishermen on the shore to use a kind of filter net that prevents mammals from getting caught.
Casting the net wider
Fishing from the shore has been an age-old practice on the Flemish coast, even if it no longer creates much economic value. Like the shrimp fishers on horseback, the practice has been kept alive by a few hundred dedicated enthusiasts, and, according to Wackenier, the beach in Koksijde is perfect for this type of fishing.
“The shore is very wide and shallow, which is ideal both for shore fishing and for marine mammals,” he says. “We’ve set up the new regulation in dialogue with the shore fishermen, because it is also in in their interest – they want to preserve their traditional form of fishing.”
Shore fishermen use fixed nets, which are propped on the beach at low tide. The nets are designed to catch primarily sole and flat fish, but seals that get trapped in them have no way of escaping and drown. The new filter nets are much smaller, making it impossible for seals to enter.
This is a logical step in the protection of marine mammals, says Wackenier, following the introduction of the ban on gillnets two years ago. The new regulation, he adds, sets an example for the rest of the coast.
“Even though shore fishing isn't very popular on the northern side, we hope that other communities will follow,” he says. “It shows that traditional fishing practices can go hand-in-hand and the protection of our marine environment.”
