Fishing with children: catching plastic, crabs and plankton

At first glance, the harbour looks fairly clean. But the further we sail, the more rubbish catches our eye. Floating amongst the seaweed. Stuff that doesn’t belong in the water. Disastrous for wildlife. Fish and birds eat the plastic or get tangled up in the nets. Time for action. We sail from one side to the other in search of rubbish. It’s destined for the large bin on the boat. We turn it into a bit of a competition amongst ourselves. Plastic bottle tops are worth the most. Alexander jumps up and grabs his net. He leans slightly over the side of the boat. “I’ve got one!” he exclaims triumphantly. Next to him, others are also rummaging eagerly. A parcel of parsley is the next trophy. After half an hour, the bin is already quite full – from plastic bags to bits of fishing net and even insulation material. The children are amazed. They’re taking notice. “Why is all this floating here? We need to treat nature better and just put things in the bin,” says Luca wisely. Today, the first stap has been taken. The water is a little bit cleaner again.

Once the bin has been emptied of its plastic, we take a seat on the benches at ‘t Ailand. A quick break. All around us, the sound of seagulls. That coastal feeling. But the children are already raring to go for the next activity. Hunting for crabs. Off to a nearby bridge, with a large net in their hands. Barbara follows with a bucket of fish. Those creatures with claws are mad about that, you see. “I wonder if they’ll bite,” says Alexander curiously. After waiting for a quarter of an hour – the children are having a brilliant time around ‘t Ailand, playing with all sorts of things – it’s time to reel in the catch. Bingo. The children’s eyes widen. Here and there, a cry of joy rings out. Inside the square fishing net, the crabs are scrambling over one another. They come in all sizes. There’s a really big one in there too. We decide not to touch that one. But the smaller ones are happily picked up by the children. They look quite cool. Proudly, they show off their trophies. After giving them a good look, the crabs are released back into the water at the water’s edge. Back home.

We’ll stay near the bridge for a while longer. On the lookout for the smallest of the small: plankton. Microscopic creatures that float through the water. “Plankton is the beginning of life in the sea,” says Barbara. “Every fish or crab starts out by eating plankton.” A sort of baby food, then. The children listen intently, eager to see it for themselves. One by one, they grab a special net with a plastic cup attached to the end. As if they’ve done this many times before, they drag the net from left to right through the water. One cup is darker in colour than the other. Alexander presses his face against the cup to see if there’s anything in it. “I’ve got a little prawn!” he exclaims happily. “And I’ve got a little crab!” adds Ino. The plankton-rich water from the plastic cups is carefully poured into glass ones. Time to have a really close look.

At ‘t Ailand, a microscope is ready and waiting. Plus pipettes, glass slides and a book about plankton. Little by little, droplets are taken from the jars. Ino is first in line. With one eye open and the other squinted, he studies his catch. ‘Wow!’ he exclaims loudly. ‘How cool! There really are so many little creatures swimming around. Look, look!’ He calls over the other children standing in the queue to have a peek too. One by one, they can’t believe their eyes. So too do Alexander and Luca’s grandad. And the parents. A whole new world is literally opening up to them. For young and old alike. They’ve never seen it like this before. Everyone is curious. Everyone is a child again for a moment.

After a day in the harbour, it is time to sit back and relax. Left and right, the day's catches are discussed. Alexander decides to go to the mudflats for a while. That's where you get dirty. Luca gives him a hand and points the water hose at his little brother. Meanwhile, a feast is prepared on the barbecue. The grills are filled with fish and vegetables. The smell augurs well. After cooking for a while, it is served. Plates and stomachs are generously filled. Satisfied faces all around. We should do this more often.