OOSTDUINKERKE: Panniers strapped to their haunches, a team of horses waded collar-deep through North Sea waters — hauling wide nets along the Belgian coast as cawing seagulls swirled all around.

In the saddle, clad head to toe in yellow oilskins, riders steered them parallel with the beach in Oostduinkerke — the last place on Earth, they say, where the tradition of shrimp-fishing on horseback lives on.

Once practised throughout Europe, the custom has all but died out — but a community of enthusiasts has kept the flame going in this coastal town, earning a spot on Unesco’s intangible heritage list.

They do not fish for profit, but the rare spectacle they offer has become a tourist draw for the small town, situated half an hour from the French border. Back in the day, historians explain, poor farmers used to ride to the coast to fish — as a way to supplement their diet.

At first they pulled their nets by hand, later using mules then eventually workhorses able to haul much larger, heavier loads. The method was used in Belgium, the Netherlands, northern France and the south of England.

On this sunny day in late October, a group of five headed out at low tide to fish for grey shrimp. “This is the only place in the world where shrimp-fishing is still practiced with horses,” fisherman Gunther Vanbleu said as he sorted his catch on the beach — surrounded by a curious crowd of smartphone-wielding onlookers.

Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2024