Razor clam

The Dutch fishery on razor clam has been MSC-certified since 2012. This fishery on razor clam takes places in the Dutch coastal waters of the Zeeuwse Delta and north of the Wadden Sea. There are 8 permits given, of which 4 are used.

The vessels use suction dredges to catch the razor clams and catch more than 3700 tons (fresh weight). This is 46% of the Dutch quota for 2012 (8000 tons). The razor clams are mainly exported to Spain and Italy.

Ensis species, also known as razor clams, are vulnerable to [fishing pressure]. Although they have a large economic value, there are no stock assessments for razor clams.

Hand picking of razor clams is very selective with no bycatch. This method has no negative impact on the ecosystem and habitat. However, there is some picking of undersized razor clams.

Management of razor clam fishery from Europe is not sufficient. There is a minimum landing size (of 10 cm) determined, but there are not more measures taken. There is sometimes a local management, like gear prescriptions, closed areas and seasons or daily catch restricrions. The main problems are the picking of undersized razor clams and illegal fishery.

Mesheft, ook wel bekend als scheermes of zwaardschede, is gevoelig voor [visserijdruk visserijdrukvisserij-inspanning]. Ondanks het grote economische belang van de soort, zijn er geen bestandsbeoordelingen voor de mesheft.

Door de mesheften met de hand te rapen is er geen [bijvangst] en kan er zeer selectief gevist worden. Deze methode veroorzaakt geen negatieve effecten op het ecosysteem en het habitat. Wel worden er dikwijls ondermaatse mesheften geraapt.

Beheer van de mesheftvisserij vanuit Europa is niet voldoende. Er is een minimum aanlandingsmaat vastgesteld (van 10cm), maar er zijn verder geen maatregelen. Er is soms wel lokaal beheer, zoals tuigvoorschriften, gesloten gebieden en -seizoenen of dagelijkse vangstbeperkingen. Vooral het rapen van ondermaatse mesheften en illegale visserij vormt een probleem.

Razor clams are vulnerable to [fishing pressure]. There are no stock assessments for razor clam, despite the large economic value of this species.

Fishing on razor clam is done with suction dredges. Intensive fishing with suction dredges leads on the long term to a change in the diversity of the habitat and the species composition in sea. There is also much bycatch with this fishing method and there are discards.

Management of the razor clam fishery from the EU is not enough. There is a minimum landingsize determined (of 10cm), But there are furthermore no European measures. Sometimes there are measures taken locally, for example gear guidelines, closed areas and seasons or daily catch limits. This differs from country to country.