Common cockle

In the Wadden Sea and in the Oosterschelde, common cockles are harvested by hand, by means of a [hand dredge]. This is a kind of rake with a net attached to it, that is pulled through the upper layer of the seabed by hand. The fishermen work at low tide on sandflats. The yearly yield of this method is 300 to 600 tons of cockle meat. The yearly maximum that may be caught in the Wadden Sea is 2.5% of the harvestable stock. In the Oosterschelde there is an ecological food reservation limit of 5000 tons. This may not be fished but is food for birds and fish. In 2012 the Dutch hand caught cockle fishery became MSC-certifiedMSC Certified:
Fisheries that comply with the Marine Stewardship Council assessment criteria and are certified. Fish products with the blue MSC label are caught by sustainable fisheries..

The stockStock:
The fish of a particular species reproducing in the same area in the same period.  of common cockle fluctuates naturally very strongly. Because cockles are an important food source for birds and fish, the catch needs to be adjusted for the stock dynamics and food needs of other species in the ecosystem. Fishery is done with [hand dredges]. This is an extensive harvesting method that mainly is done on a small scale. This fishery is not associated with irreversible environmental damage. The catch of common cockles is regulated locally by means of permits, catch restrictions and [closed areas] and/or seasons. This regulation does not succeed everywhere, which causes the [fishing pressure] on a stock to rise to up to 36% of the total stock.

The stockStock:
The fish of a particular species reproducing in the same area in the same period.  of common cockle fluctuates naturally very strongly. Because cockles are an important food source for birds and fish, the catch needs to be adjusted for the stock dynamics and food needs of other species in the ecosystem.

This fishery uses a mechanised dredge: the “suction trawl”. This fishing method has a large impact on the environment. Intensive fishing with the suction trawl leads on the long term to a change in the species composition. This method also has often high bycatch rates. A part of the bycatch is released back into the sea (discardsDiscards:
Unwanted by-catch, which is thrown back because there is no quota, the market price is too low, or the fish is below the legal minimum landing size. Discards can be alive or dead.), but does not survive this.

The catch of common cockles is regulated locally by means of permits, catch restrictions and [closed areas] and/or seasons. This regulation does not succeed everywhere, which causes the [fishing pressure] on a stock to rise to up to 36% of the total stock.