Oostduinkerke Shrimp Fishers

At Oostduinkerke a small number of families still fish for grey shrimp on horseback, riding Brabant draught horses chest-deep into the surf parallel to the shore, dragging a funnel-shaped net on wooden beams behind them with chains that vibrate the sand and drive the shrimp up into it. The catch is emptied into baskets on the horse's flanks and sorted on the beach. It was once practised along much of the North Sea coast and Oostduinkerke is the only place it survives, carried on by around a dozen licensed fishers who work to strict rules on horse welfare and catch. UNESCO inscribed the practice in 2013. Fishers go out on a published schedule tied to the tides, and a shrimp festival is held in late June.

What you actually see

• Horses working the surf - Brabant draught horses chest-deep in the sea.
• Net beams and chains - the gear dragged over the sand to drive shrimp up.
• Sorting on the beach - the catch emptied and separated after each run.
• The last practitioners - about a dozen licensed fishers, the only ones left.

When to go

April to September, on published dates tied to low tide; check the schedule before travelling since they go out only a few times a month. Two to three hours. The shrimp festival is in late June.

Honest expectations

They fish only on scheduled tides, and turning up on the wrong day means seeing nothing. Crowds gather at the water line and block the view. The beach is exposed. Do not approach the horses. Weather cancels sessions.

Nearby

The coast tram runs both ways; Veurne lies inland.