Coastal municipalities organize ‘The Great Shell Counting Day’

For the fifth year in a row, enthusiasts can each collect 100 beach shells and bring them in at the various watchpoints scattered across the coastal communities. There, shell experts help identify the types of shells found.

This year, for the first time, experts are comparing the shells from the Flemish beaches with those in the Netherlands. Today, the Naturalis museum in Leiden is also holding a large shell count on the beaches of South Holland, as part of Leiden2022 – European City of Science.

In the morning, families with children could visit three provincial visitor centers (Duinpanne, Raversyde Anno 1465 and ZWIN Nature Park) to get acquainted with shells in a playful way during a workshop. Then they were fully prepared to collect and process a shell sample at a migration site.

The Great Shell Counting Day is an initiative of the Flanders Marine Institute, EOS Science, the Province of West Flanders, Natuurpunt, the Strandwerkgroep, Coastal Heritage and the 10 coastal municipalities.