Shrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke

What it is

Shrimp fishing on horseback is a way of catching brown shrimp from the sea while riding a horse. It belongs to Oostduinkerke, a village on the Belgian coast in West Flanders, and it is the only place where it still happens. The fishers are called paardenvissers, which means horsefishers. They work in the shallow water off the beach, not far from land. Over the centuries it was common on other parts of the North Sea coast, but it died out elsewhere. Here it survived, and in 2013 UNESCO added it to its international register of intangible heritage.

Horses, nets and gear

The fishers ride Brabant draught horses, strong animals bred for pulling. A net shaped like a funnel, roughly seven metres by ten, is kept open by two boards set on either side. A chain is dragged over the sea floor behind the horse, sending out small shock waves. Shrimp react by jumping, and the net takes them. The horse wades in up to its chest, moving along the shore. Fishers wear waterproof clothing. Each horse carries two baskets, one on either side, for the catch.

Origins and history

Families along the North Sea coast, in what are now Germany, England, France and Belgium, fished this way from the sixteenth century until after the Second World War. As coastal economies improved, these farmer-fishers gave up the work. Oostduinkerke, a Flemish community of about 8,500 people, is where it stayed alive. Knowledge passed from fathers to sons over the centuries. Today thirteen households keep it going, fifteen men and two women among them, and each household has its own speciality.

The Shrimp Festival

Every June the village holds a two-day shrimp festival. Preparations take months: floats, costumes and a parade. Around 10,000 visitors come from abroad. On the first day the horse fishers compete at catching shrimp, and the winner leads the parade on the second day. The festival began in 1950, started by Honoré Loones, then mayor of neighbouring Koksijde. His idea was to give the trade a future by turning it into something visitors would come and watch. The municipality has helped pay for the festival and for summer demonstrations ever since.

Today and change

Shrimp fishing on horseback is now both a livelihood and a sight that draws visitors. Demonstrations run about forty-five minutes and are held from April to September each year; the schedule is published by the Koksijde municipality on its website. Onlookers watch the horses work and then taste the shrimp, boiled in fresh water. The practice stands as a marker of Belgian maritime life, and local families keep handing it on to the next generation. UNESCO recognition came in 2013.

How Shrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke is kept

The horse fishers of Oostduinkerke, men and women from local fishing households, work the sea a few times a week outside winter. They time the trip to low tide, starting about ninety minutes before it turns and finishing about ninety minutes after. Horse and rider enter the water, the horse wading to chest depth and walking parallel to the coast. The chain and net trail behind. Every half hour the fisher returns to the beach, empties the net and sorts the catch, then sets out again. The whole outing lasts roughly three hours. Afterwards the shrimp are boiled in fresh water.

When and where

Fishing happens a few times a week through most of the year, avoiding the winter months, and is tied to low tide: the trip runs from about ninety minutes before low water to ninety minutes after. The Shrimp Festival is held over two days each June, and public demonstrations take place between April and September.

The practice belongs to Oostduinkerke, a village in West Flanders on the Belgian coast, and it is strongest there, since it is the last place it continues. In earlier centuries it was also common among coastal families in Germany, England and France. The Shrimp Festival is run with the neighbouring town of Koksijde.

What Shrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke means

For the families who fish this way, the horses and the tide are a working inheritance, passed down through generations and still taught to children. The practice stands for a coastal way of life that has otherwise gone, and the festival turns that into something the whole village shares with visitors. Being named by UNESCO in 2013 gave the community outside confirmation of what it already held dear.

Questions people ask about Shrimp fishing on horseback in Oostduinkerke

See also

CandlemasA Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonGnawa musicA spiritual musical tradition of Morocco that blends West African rhythms with Islamic ritual to heal and connect communCamino de SantiagoA Christian walking pilgrimage across Europe to the shrine of Saint James in SpainBastille DayFrance's national day marking the storming of the Bastille and the unity of the people on 14 July.

Good reading and sources

• Shrimp fishing on horseback in OostduinkerkeUNESCO, Heritage listing
• Europe’s 500-year-old seafood traditionBBC, Article
• Shrimp fishing on horseback in OostduinkerkeUNESCO, Article
• Europe’s 500-year-old seafood traditionBBC, Article

• Shrimp fishing on horse back in Oostduinkerke on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-09.