In the West Flemish seaside resort of Oostduinkerke, mounted shrimp fishermen have opened their new season. Thanks to the fine weather, this attracted large crowds. The fishermen ride their horses out to sea for about 20 minutes and drag their nets along the seabed to catch shrimp.
“It’s brilliant the new season has now started,” says Nele Bekaert, a horse-mounted shrimp fisher. “We’re showing people what we do. The catch isn’t that good yet; it’s still early in the season. We hope it will improve, but it’s certainly nice to be back at sea.”
‘This is our first public demonstration today. Traditionally, we start on Easter Monday,’ says Chris Vermote. ‘The tradition dates back more than 500 years. Originally, they fished using pack animals, not for shrimps, but for seaweed. That was used in the sand dunes as fertiliser. Gradually, they found small creatures, such as shrimps, and began to prepare them. That’s how the tradition developed further.’
"For us, it’s actually a bit of a stress-reliever," Chris Vermote continues. "Being out in the water with our horses and showing the crowds what we do – that’s fun."
"A horse isn’t afraid of water. They are used to fording rivers. The only thing we have to teach them is how to handle the waves. We do that when the weather is really hot. Then the horses like to play in the water too, just like children. And that’s how the horses gradually become familiar with the waves.’
The horses head out to sea for about 20 minutes, where they patiently drag their nets across the seabed to catch shrimps. For the public, it’s a chance to marvel at the animals’ strength. After dragging the net, the horses return to shore, and the catch is inspected and sorted until only the shrimps remain.
"Shrimp numbers are decreasing every year," says mounted shrimp fisherman Stefaan Hancke. "The North Sea has become a motorway. It is constantly being dredged to allow larger ships through. The little shrimps live in the sand and get dredged up along with it. The way we treat the sea isn’t right. That’s my opinion, anyway. There will always be shrimps, but not in the volumes we were used to.”
“Collaboration between people, animals and nature – that’s why we do it. And people appreciate that. Just look at how many people are here today.”