Fisheries in Blankenberge
Contents
Overview and Background
The Belgian coast is 67 km long and is entirely bordering the province of West-Flanders (region of Flanders, Belgium). The Belgian part of the North Sea is 3,457 km2 (0.5% of the North Sea area), of which more than 1/3 or 1,430 km² are territorial sea within 12 nautical miles distance of the coastline. Belgium currently has 10 coastal municipalities and 4 coastal ports (Nieuwpoort, Oostende, Zeebrugge and Blankenberge), and besides the fish auctions located in Oostende, Zeebrugge and Nieuwpoort where fish is sold according to legal procedures, there are no other dispersed landing points. Although historically the port and auction of Oostende was by far the most important, today the auctions of Zeebrugge (53%) and Oostende (45%) receive the largest share of the landings of Belgian fisheries in Belgian ports.
Belgium has a minor role in the European fisheries context with 0.35% of the total EU production of fish. In 2012, the Belgian commercial sea fishing fleet counted 86 ships, with a total engine capacity of 49,135 kW and gross tonnage of 15,326 GT [1]. 45 vessels are part of the Small Fleet Segment (max 221 kW engine power) of which 2 use passive gear. The remaining 41 vessels belong to the Large Fleet Segment and have an engine power between 221 kW and a maximum of 1,200 kW. This fleet segment represents approximately 80% of the engine power capacity and 77% of the GT of the fleet. While a smaller number use trammel nets (passive gear) and otter trawl, the largest share of the Large Fleet Segment are beam trawl vessels (≥662 kW). The Belgian fleet is highly specialized: more than 68% of the effort(days at sea) and 77% of total landings are achieved by beam trawlers(2010)focusing primarily on flatfish species such as plaice (Pleuronectes platessa) and sole (Solea solea). The results of the reconstruction of the Belgian fleet dynamics since 1830 are presented in Lescrauwaet et al. 2013[2].
The number of days at sea per vessel is fixed at a maximum of 265 per year and in 2011 the entire fleet realized a fishing effort of 15,855 days at sea. In 2011, the Belgian fleet landed a total of 20,138t, of which 16,905t were landed in Belgian ports. Plaice is the most important species in terms of landed weight. The landings of 2011 represented a value of €76.3 million, 14% of which was marketed in foreign ports. Sole generates 47% of the current total value of fisheries in Belgium. The Belgian sea fisheries represent 0.04% of the national Gross Domestic Product [3]. The main fishing grounds in terms of volume of landings in 2010 were in descending order: North Sea South (IVc), Eastern English Channel (VIId), North Sea Central (IVb), Southeast Ireland/Celtic Sea (VIIg) Bristol Channel (VIIf) and Irish Sea (VIIa).
In terms of direct employment, 439 fishers are registered of which approximately 350 are of Belgian nationality. Direct employment in fisheries represent approximately 0.5% of the total employment in the Belgian coastal zone. Another 1040 persons work in the fish processing industry and another 5000 persons in associated trade and services [1]. A historical overview of Belgian sea fisheries is available from [4] and [2].
The Belgian sea fishery sector is rather small compared to that of neighbouring countries in the North Sea and has been gradually losing importance since the Second World War. It is also gradually losing importance relative to the booming tourism industry in the Belgian coastal zone. However fisheries can be an added value to the tourism experience at the coast by developing fisheries-related tourism activities [5]. The present case study of Nieuwpoort (Belgium) analyzes how fisheries is embedded in tourism policy of the municipality.
Port description
Blankenberge (Geographical coordinates: 51°18′N 03°07′E) is a coastal town in Belgium and has a population of 19 500 people. Blankenberge has a long history in inshore fishing. The Blankenberge fleet were typical inshore fishing boats; small fishing boats with a wide bottom that were easy to slide from the beach. Fisheries in Blankenberge flourished in the late 17th century. At that time Blankenberge had the most important fleet from the Flemish coast. A first ship wharf was built in 1780. And in the 19th century the fishing port of Blankenberge expanded with first the construction of a harbour “schuilhaven” and the port channel. Formerly the fish was sold on the streets. In 1868 a room was arranged for fish sale, this room was called the “hangar” by the fishermen of Blankenberge. Despite the presence of an accommodation, fishers kept selling their fish on the streets and in 1875 the “hangar” was pulled down. In 1888 the sale of fish on the streets disappeared with the deployment of the fish auction. The last fish auction was held on 3rd of September 1958. In 1959 the fish auction was pulled down and a new one was built however this new fish auction has never been used, except for shrimp fisheries, due to the fisheries shutdown in Blankenberge. From that time onwards, fishermen of Blankenberge start selling their fish in the fish auctions of Oostende and Zeebrugge. In 1955 the fishing port of Blankenberge was reorganized into a marina which indicated the start for Blankenberge to grow into a touristic seaside town ([6]).
Fishing fleet
In 2013 a total of 4 fishing vessels are registered in Blankenberge[7] from which 1 fishing vessel is defined as an inshore fishing vessel (indicated in blue in the table below): the B.65 ARTEVELDE. The Belgian definition of inshore fisheries ('kustvisserij') refers to vessels with an engine power of 221 kW or less (this includes any additional installed power) and a tonnage of no more than 70 GT, that make trips with a maximum period determined by the Minister (today being 48 hours) with start and end in a Belgian port. Moreover, vessels with engine power >221 kW are not allowed to fish within the 12nm which is reserved for the inshore fisheries or Small Fleet Segment (Ministerial Decree of December 16, 2005).
| Port letters and number | Vessel name | L.O.A. in m | Tonnage | Year built | Engine power (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B.65 | ARTEVELDE | 23.82 | 69 | 1986 | 221 |
| B.462 | WILLIAM OF LADRAM | 37.81 | 385 | 2000 | 960 |
| B.518 | DRAKKAR | 37.81 | 384 | 1998 | 957 |
| B.601 | VAN MAERLANT | 22.94 | 84 | 1991 | 221 |
Tabel 1: Fishing vessels of Blankenberge. Inshore fishing vessels are indicated in blue.(Officiële lijst van de Belgische vissersvaartuigen (Toestand op 31 december 2013))
Landings
Fish shops and restaurants
Blankenberge has several restaurant serving North sea fish from which restaurant the Oesterput is an unique seafood restaurant. It is located in an old fish wholesale barn in the industrial area of Blankenberge, a few meters from the port and dunes. Everything in and around the restaurant refers to the sea. The restaurant has the oldest and biggest lobster basins in Belgium. Because of the direct connection of the restaurant to the sea, the lobsters stay in an optimal cooled environment. The restaurant opened in 1986 and became a great success. The oysters are directly imported from France, lobsters are cultivated in the restaurant and imported from Halifax in Canada. Fresh fish arrives daily from Zeebrugge.
There are several fish shops in Blankenberge (click here for an overview).
Daniel’s visbedrijf, “Daniels fish company”, is a company located in Blankenberge that is, since 15 years, active in the fish process industry. They do import, export, processing and distribution of fresh and frozen fish and fish products.
Organisations
In Belgium, the FLAG, also called the ‘local group’, ‘Plaatselijke Groep Belgisch Zeevisserijgebied’, is a partnership between socio-economic stakeholders in the fisheries sector, NGOs and public authorities that play a crucial role in the implementation of the proposed development strategy. The lead partner of the Belgian FLAG is the Province of West Flanders. The main focus of the FLAG strategy is to add value to local fisheries products and increase local consumption. Belgian landings represent only 10% of fisheries products consumed in Belgium, leaving the remaining 90% to be met by imports. Therefore there is a considerable potential for discovering and developing local markets. It will also support diversification, innovation, the involvement of women and efforts to promote the sustainable management of the marine environment[8].
In 1891 the “vrije visserijschool”, free fisheries school opened in Blankenberge. The school closed in 1951[9][10].
Although fishery activity disappeared in Blankenberge, the history in fisheries is still part of the city. Each year during the Ascension weekend, the “havenfeesten”, “harbor festivals” are held. The feast originate from the harbor area and is grown into a touristic folkloric event. During the festivities, people wear traditional fisheries costumes dating from the 19th century.
The festival starts with floral tributes in memory of the fishermen lost at sea at the statue of a first mate which is called “Sterken Dries” by local people. The statue was built in 1960 by Guillaume Charlier as a tribute to the fishermen of Blankenberge and is located at the entrance of the harbour.
Another traditional event is the Sea benediction, “Zeewijding”, in the beginning of July. The sea benediction used to introduce the bathing season, none of the residents would go into the sea before the sea benediction took place. The tradition still exists today. The open air mass held during the sea benediction includes a memorial of fishermen lost at sea, together with a request for protection for everyone who goes to the sea. Blankenberge has two museums related to fisheries.
- The Maritime Museum "De Scute" is the museum from the non-profit organization “De Scute”. The organization was established in 1992 and aims to revalue the fishing heritage of Blankenberge. Since 2008 the organization has a small museum located above a hangar in which the organization is restoring a ship, the B1 Sint-Pieter. The collection includes photographs, paintings, objects of fisheries in Blankenberge and also information about the rebuilding of a fishing fleet of Blankenberge.
- The Zeemuseum Vuurtoren Zeegenootschap, a nautical didactical information center located within the lighthouse at the port of Blankenberge. The collection in the hall includes all kind of relicts from the maritime history of Blankenberge. In the staircase pictures from old fishermen from Blankenberge are shown.
The city also invest into touristic activities related to fisheries. As there is the shrimp fishing boat, the B72 Jaqueline-Denise, a wooden ketch that was built in Oostende in 1939. It is one of the typical shrimp fishing boats that were operational between the two world wars. In 1991 the ship came to Blankenberge and in 2005 restoration started to make the ship operational for trips at sea. At the moment groups can make trips at sea with the B72 Jaqueline-Denise while learning about the history and restoration of the ship. Often the trips are combined with a visit to the Maritime Museum De Scute.
In 1994 the “Blankenbergse Havenwandeling”, harbor walk in Blankenberge was introduced for the first time. The walk of 4.5 kilometers is a historic exploration of the harbor area.
Blankenberge is home to one of the 35 SEA LIFE centers. SEA LIFE is located all over the world. SEA LIFE in Blankenberge has more than 50 aquariums that accommodates over 2500 creatures.
 Fig 5. "Sterkendries" Source:City of Blankenberge |
 Fig 6. Harbour walk in Blankenberge Source:City of Blankenberge |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roegiers, B.; Platteau, J.; Van Bogaert, T.; Van Gijseghem, D.; Bekaert, K.; De Bruyne, S.; Delbare, D.; Depestele, J.; Lescrauwaet, A.-K.; Moreau, K.; Polet, H.; Robbens, J.; Vandamme, S.; Van Hoey, G.; Verschueren, B. (2013). VIRA Visserijrapport 2012 Departement Landbouw en Visserij: Brussel. 98 pp.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lescrauwaet, A.-K. (2013). Belgian fisheries: ten decades, seven seas, forty species: Historical time-series to reconstruct landings, catches, fleet and fishing areas from 1900. PhD Thesis. Ghent University (UGent): Gent. xiii, 242 pp.
- ↑ Anon. (2008). Strategische Milieubeoordeling van het Nationaal Operationeel Plan voor de Belgische visserijsector, 2007 - 2013. ILVO Visserij: Oostende. 103 pp.
- ↑ Lescrauwaet, A.-K.; Debergh, H.; Vincx, M.; Mees, J. (2010). Fishing in the past: Historical data on sea fisheries landings in Belgium. Mar. Policy 34(6): 1279-1289. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2010.05.006
- ↑ Anon. (2011). Europees Visserijfonds (EVF). AS 4: ontwikkelingsstrategie voor het Belgisch kustgebied. Europees Visserijfonds: [s.l.]. 33 pp.
- ↑ De Soete, D. (2000). De Blankenbergse zeevisserij. Van de Wiele: Brugge. ISBN 90-76297-07-X. 128 pp.
- ↑ Anon. (2014). Officiële lijst van de Belgische vissersvaartuigen = Liste officielle des navires de pêche belges. Toestand op 31 December 2013. Officiële lijst van de Belgische vissersvaartuigen = Liste officièlle des navires de pêche belges. Federale Overheidsdienst Mobiliteit en Vervoer: Brussel. 28 pp.
- ↑ FLAG factsheet - Belgium - West Flanders
- ↑ Smet , R., Vannecke, A. (2002). Historiek van het technisch en beroepsonderwijs, 1830-1990. Garant: Antwerpen. ISBN 90-441-1326-7. 1014 pp.
- ↑ Seys, J. (2011). Unieke visserskaart herontdekt in Blankenbergse school, in: Lescrauwaet, A.-K. et al. (Ed.) (2011). Abstractenboek studiedag "Vissen in het verleden. Een multidisciplinaire kijk op de geschiedenis van de Belgische zeevisserij". VLIZ Special Publication, 54: pp. 60-61
