Oysters in the National Park Waddensea
The National Park Waddensea invites for unexpected and overwhelming experiences, there are many ways to observe the world's most important tidal zone, the National Park Waddensea, and UNESCO's World Heritage. For stimulation of all your senses join us on a trip into the habitat of oysters. You´ll go into the sea by low water, just a few hundred meters from the coast, where you can pick up lots of oysters - the world's most delicious raw food.
Heeyy.. did you know?
The Waddensea oyster is an invasive species, which means that the natural habitat of the oyster species is not the Waddensea.
In fact, the oyster species that today can be picked from Rømø and the South Jutland coast, namely the Pacific oyster, was imported from Japan in the 20th century.
Before the Pacific oyster, the European oyster lived in large populations in the Waddensea but was almost completely exterminated by disease and other conditions in the sea. Today you can still be lucky to come across a European oyster, but not at all in the number that the Pacific oyster is found.
You can pick Waddensea oysters on the northeast and southeast side of Rømø. There are also many oysters located near Hjerpsted / Højer.
The oysters are are often found in areas of thousand and sometimes millions at a time.
The oyster season often starts from late October to late April. The oysters can only be eaten when the water temperature is cold enough so that there are no toxic bacteria in them.
In the Wadden Sea around Rømø and up along the coast to Esbjerg, you can find a great many oysters of the Pacific oyster species (Crassostrea gigas).
This is because in the 20th century, oysters began to be imported from Japan to Europe, as the original European oysters had begun to become extinct due to disease.
When the tide is low enough, oyster banks emerge from the Wadden Sea. You can find the oyster banks located at different distances from the coast, most are found 200-300 meters from the shore, but some banks are several kilometers from the coast.
Once you have found an oyster bank, you must find the oysters that have spent the least time over the water, so that the bacteria that may could lie, has been caused away by the sea water.
Remember that the tide is affected by weather and wind, so the water level may deviate from the predicted forecast.
We recommend that you bring a guide if you are unsure on how to find and eat the oysters.
When is oyster season?
In the cold months leading up to September / October and until the month of April, you can collect oysters yourself, bring them home and enjoy them. The oyster can be eaten in many ways, in fact, it is almost only the imagination that limits how you can cook an oyster. A good tip is to drink wine or a cold beer for oysters.
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