Fishery
and culture
In
the Netherlands, the oyster fishery and oyster cultivation take place in the
province of Zeeland, in the Eastern Scheldt (Oosterschelde)
and Lake Grevelingen (Grevelingenmeer).
The
cultivation parcels are owned by the state, which leases them to the
cultivators. In the Eastern Scheldt and Lake Grevelingen a total of respectively
1,550 and 500 hectares are in use.
Photo: Alice Barbé
Oysters
are fished with a dredge. This is a special net that scrapes the oysters off the
seabed.
The
fishery takes place on the cultivation parcels in the Eastern Scheldt and Lake
Grevelingen, and on wild oyster beds in the Eastern Scheldt. The fishery targets
small Pacific oysters for relaying on the cultivation parcels as well as adult flat and Pacific oysters.
Oysters are cultivated on cultivation parcels in the Eastern Scheldt and Lake
Grevelingen. Cultch (mussel shells) is put on the parcels to provide a structure
for the oyster spat to settle. Spat fall takes place in June and July, when the
water temperature is approximately 18°C.
In
contrast to the Pacific oysters, the flat oysters remain on the same cultivation
parcel until they reach marketable size.
It takes four to five years before they are ready for consumption. The oysters
then weigh 70 to 100 grams.
The
Pacific oyster was introduced in the Eastern Scheldt after the outbreak of the
oyster disease Bonamiasis. This disease causes high mortality rates among flat
oysters. Pacific oysters are not susceptible to this disease. In
the past decade, large wild Pacific oyster banks have developed. Seed oysters are
fished from these banks and are then transferred to the cultivation parcels.
After one year, the small oysters are relocated to deeper parcels with better
growth conditions. Pacific oysters will reach marketable size within three
years.
Photo: Alice Barbé
Once
the oysters have reached marketable size, they are fished and transferred to
concrete oyster ponds. Here the oysters are stored in fresh sea water. The
famous oyster ponds in the village of Yerseke are connected with the Eastern
Scheldt by means of sluices. Fresh water is taken in with help of the tides and
pumps. In the oyster ponds, the oysters are purified; that is, by filtering
fresh seawater the oyster remove silt and sand. After a couple of days, the
oysters are ready for the market.
Marine Stewardship Council certification project
In November 2011 the Dutch oyster fishery started the certification trajectory against the Marine Stewardship Council standard
for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. An independent team will
assess - with input from all stakeholders - whether or not the fishery
is carried out in such a controlled way that there is no overfishing
and that there are no undersired impacts on marine life.