Official shell counting day: Counting seashells on Dutch beaches for science

To get a better idea of how many seashells are on Dutch beaches and in the sea, interested people could count shells on beaches in the Netherlands on Saturday. Several organizations have declared Saturday as shell counting day for this purpose.

Naturalis, the Dutch Malacological Association, the North Sea Foundation and the Flemish Marine Institute, are the organizers of this initiative. Those interested can also count shells in Belgium and France.

The intention is that people register the found shells on a counting form and that data is collected in this way. This should provide a better picture of around 400 kilometers of the North Sea coast. "In this way you help science a little bit," said the organization's website.

Naturalis is also dedicated to the shell counting day on Saturday. There were lectures, activities and there was a so-called “shell desk”, where people could ask questions, including live from the beaches. Volunteers were also on the beaches between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.