Shellfish Monitor
The benefits
In short- For shellfish cultivators and policy makers
- Distribution and population development of shellfish in saline Dutch coastal waters
- Helps determine how much fishing is permitted
- Supports estimation of the consequences of sand nourishment for shellfish fauna
Which shellfish live in the Dutch coastal waters? What are the population sizes, biomasses and where exactly are they? How do certain species develop? Wageningen Marine Research maps the population size and distribution of Dutch shellfish species annually. The data from our surveys are made available in a user-friendly way via the Shellfish Monitor.
Who is the Shellfish Monitor for?
Shellfish cultivators use this kind of information for their operational management. Policy makers are also interested in the data. For example, to estimate the consequences of sand nourishment on beaches or foreshores for shellfish fauna.
Our solutions
Wageningen Marine Research presents its long-term data collections on the population development of these shellfish in five sub-maps. Within each monitor, you can easily view the distribution and population development of various species of shellfish (density and biomass) in the saline Dutch coastal waters. You can select the species you want and scroll through the individual years.
The five maps below are available in Dutch.
More information
In order to determine how much fishing is permitted, it is necessary to know what the stock sizes of shellfish are in the Dutch coastal waters. That is why our researchers have been mapping the current size of the stocks of commercially interesting species and their distribution every year since 1990. These inventories are primarily focused on cockles (Cerastoderma edule), mussels (Mytilus edulis), Atlantic jackknife clam (Ensis leei), cut through shell (Spisula subtruncata) and Pacific oyster (Crassostrea gigas). All other species of shellfish, crabs and echinoderms found are also recorded.
Most shellfish surveys are part of the Statutory Research Tasks (WOT) for fisheries, and are carried out annually on behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. The inventory in the sublittoral part of the Wadden Sea is commissioned by the Producers Organisation of Dutch Mussel Culture.
Get in touch with our expert
Questions about our Shellfish Monitor? Contact our expert.
dr. K (Karin) Troost
Researcher marine ecology
