Oysters from Yerseke

Yerseke has farmed oysters on the bed of the Oosterschelde since around 1870. What began with chalked roof tiles grew into an industry covering roughly 2,050 hectares of farming grounds, its own oyster pit dating from 1871, and a harvest season that still runs from September to April.

How does tile culture, Yerseke’s traditional oyster-farming method, work?

In tile culture, oyster larvae attach themselves to chalked roof tiles laid on the bed of the Oosterschelde. Once the spat is large enough, it moves from these natural beds to growing beds to mature further.

From around 1870, oyster farming took off in Yerseke, introduced by a handful of well-capitalised industrialists who convinced the government to lease out plots on the Oosterschelde seabed. The trick was the roof tile: an oyster larva swims freely for a few weeks before settling permanently on a hard surface, and a chalked tile is perfect for that. Once the oyster is large enough, the chalk layer flakes off with the oyster attached — the tile goes back into the water, ready for the next larva.

The spat and young oysters produced this way first land on natural beds, patches of seabed where growth naturally does best. From there they move to growing beds, where they mature until ready for harvest. Two steps, one goal: let the oyster do what it wants to do anyway, just with a little guidance from the farmer.

When was the first oyster pit built, and what is it still used for today?

The first oyster pit was built in 1871 on the outer side of the Breedsendijk. Oyster pits served as holding basins and later also as stock reservoirs for the trade.

More pits followed quickly, along with workshops and storage space around them. The village grew so fast it soon earned the nickname “the Zeeland Klondike”, after the Canadian gold-rush town — a story with as much shadow as shine, which you can read on our page about the Zeeland Klondike. The pits themselves have since become the emblem of Yerseke: walk along the Havenkade and you look straight into the basins where the oyster spends its final, crucial week before reaching the table.

What is depuration, and why does it take about a week?

Depuration is the process of holding oysters in concrete oyster pits in seawater that is continuously refreshed. It takes about a week and purifies the oysters, improving their quality.

Traders don’t just use the pits to hold stock; they also use them as a final quality step. By leaving the oysters in constantly refreshed seawater for a week, they essentially rinse themselves clean. It is a process without any bells and whistles — no machine, no additive, just time and flowing water — but one you can’t skip without the customer noticing.

Are Yerseke oysters sorted by hand or by machine?

After depuration, oysters are sorted: largely by machine for the Pacific oyster, by hand for the Zeeland flat oyster. Packing remains handwork in both cases.

That difference in sorting says something about the two oyster species Yerseke supplies today. The Pacific oyster, which rose to prominence after 1885 because it is less disease-prone and cheaper to farm, lends itself better to machine sorting by size. The Zeeland flat oyster, more delicate and prone to damage, still passes by hand through the farmer’s judgement for grading. Packing is handwork either way: an oyster simply isn’t a product you can tip into a box.

When is the oyster season, and how much farming ground does Yerseke use?

The oyster season runs from September to April. Farming takes place in the Oosterschelde and the Grevelingenmeer, together roughly 2,050 hectares of leased plots and open grounds.

Around 2009 the sector counted about 28 companies, of which 11 farmed exclusively and 17 also processed and traded — all members of the Dutch Oyster Association (Nederlandse Oestervereniging). Supply fell over that same period from around 33 million pieces in 2006 to around 20 million in 2009, and the fleet shrank from 27 to 19 vessels, with an average age of 67 years. Unlike mussels, oysters have no compulsory auction: the price is set through direct negotiation between suppliers and traders or buyers.

Where do Yerseke’s oysters go after the harvest?

Less than 20 percent of Yerseke’s oyster harvest stays in the Netherlands. The largest share goes to Belgium (around 50%), followed by Italy (16%), Germany (8%) and France (6%).

Yerseke has farmed mainly for export since the nineteenth century. All Zeeland oyster farming is now bottom culture, but growers are also experimenting with alternative methods: bed culture, as used in France, or suspended culture in nutrient-rich water. Both promise less farming ground needed, less loss, and better use of spat collectors — cautious steps towards a method that stays just as practical as the roof tiles it all began with.

What is the difference between the Zeeland flat oyster and the Pacific oyster (creuse)?

The Zeeland flat oyster is the traditionally farmed species and is sorted by hand. The Pacific oyster, also known in the trade as the creuse, rose to prominence after 1885 because it is less disease-prone and cheaper to farm.

When oyster farming ran into trouble after 1885, partly due to oyster disease, only six companies survived. They switched to the Pacific oyster and laid the foundation for today’s more resilient sector. Curious about that whole story of decline and restart? Read about the Zeeland Klondike.

Facts at a glance

Terms from oyster farming

Tile culture

Farming method in which oyster larvae attach themselves to chalked roof tiles on the bed of the Oosterschelde.

Natural beds

Patches of seabed where spat and young oysters naturally attach best, the first step after tile culture.

Growing beds

Plots to which young oysters are moved from the natural beds to grow further until ready for harvest.

Depuration

Holding oysters for about a week in concrete oyster pits with continuously refreshed seawater, to purify and improve quality.

Oyster pit

Concrete basin for depurating, sorting and stocking oysters; the first dates from 1871 on the Breedsendijk.