You may not have noticed but in Dutch fishing ports such as Scheveningen and IJmuiden, the large fishing cutters lie interspersed with small traditional fishing boats. Forty-four of these have been MSC certified for sole fishery since 2009. Each boat carries three fishermen at most, and the average number of fishing days a year does not exceed 100. The disadvantage of fishing with small boats is that it is very much dependent on weather conditions, so you can never say for sure when fresh sole will be brought ashore. But for these fishermen, this drawback is far outweighed by the rewards. The small boats can only make short trips, so the quality of the sole is nothing short of sublime. In fact, the sole is often so fresh that it cannot be consumed right away.
The fishermen set out early in the morning to collect the nets they set up the day before on the sandy muddy seafloor of the North Sea. The reason for this is that sole only swim around at night, when all is dark. The vertical nets are one metre high and fifty metres long, and one boat can set up between 100 and 300 nets. Setting up and bringing in the fishing gear is hard work, but the quality of the fish makes it worth it. After the sole have been carefully removed from the net and the nets have been put back in place, the fishermen return to shore.
By Bart van Olphen
In April 2010 I spoke to Rems Cramer, skipper of the KW (Katwijk) 2.
Bart: “So, proud to carry the MSC label?”
Rems: “We decided to go with MSC because our way of fishing perfectly satisfies the certification standards. Fishing with stake nets does not damage the seafloor and the bycatch is minimal because the nets are just one metre high, so that allows us to fish very selectively. Through our certification we also hope to set an example to others in the fishery industry, encouraging them to choose for sustainable fishing as well.”
Bart: “What are the pros and cons of being a fisherman?”
Rems: “First of all there's the sense of freedom. Nothing beats sailing out into open water, each time again. It's an indescribable feeling. Every day at sea is different. Just as you think you've seen it all, something unexpected happens. The downside is the uncertainty. We are so dependent on the weather because we use small boats, that we never really know what we'll be earning. But all in all I would never want to do anything else, this is the most wonderful job there is!”
Bart: “Where in the North Sea do you find sole?”
Rems: “Sole lives on sandy muddy grounds at a depth of between 10 and 60 metres. This is its habitat if the water is not colder than 8 degrees and not warmer than 24 degrees. When the water warms up after winter, that's when the females lay their eggs. A female can lay up to 350 thousand eggs a year! So you can figure out the consequences if we catch them at too young an age.”
Bart: “What is your favourite meal with sole?”
Rems: “Fried in Dutch butter with french fries and lettuce!”
