Two parts of the Wadden Sea will be closed to shrimp fishermen before the end of the year. This concerns a total of more than 8,500 hectares near the Eierlandse Gat, between Vlieland and Texel, and around Rottumerplaat and Rottummeroog. This has been agreed by nature organisations, the Minister of LNV and the Wadden Fund. The fishermen, who were also sitting at the table, were against it.
“In the channels that are now being closed, marine life can develop undisturbed and that is a real benefit for the nature of the Wadden Sea,” says the Waddenvereniging. He and other environmental organizations have been fighting for years against shrimp fishermen, who would damage the seabed with their nets.
Fishermen bought out
He what more than 10 million euros available to buy shrimper licenses. Nineteen fishermen made use of this. There are now seventy shrimp fishermen left who are allowed to fish in the Wadden Sea.
The fishermen could get a maximum of 7 tons for their license. That was a lot more than in an earlier scheme, which resulted in no interested parties. According to the Dutch Fishermen’s Union, this is also the main reason that some fishermen have now accepted the proposal. Also, the earnings are currently a lot lower than last year.
The fishermen’s union does not agree with closing the areas for shrimp fishing. “We had proposed to close other parts of these two places so that the fish-rich grounds would remain available, but suddenly a second variant came on the table. We did not have permission from our members, so we could not agree to it.”
–
