Forty cultivated cuttlefish released in Oosterschelde to help restore population

Forty young cuttlefish were released into the Oosterschelde over the last weekend in a rare conservation effort to restore the species’ dwindling population, Omroep Zeeland reported. The invertebrates were bred at Deltapark Neeltje Jans in Zeeland, a project considered unique in Europe.

The cuttlefish population in Dutch waters has been declining for years. Divers who once spotted dozens now see only a few. Rising water temperatures due to climate change, harder seabeds from steel slag, and overfishing abroad—particularly in Belgium and France, where no catch quotas exist—have contributed to the decline, according to Nicole Totté, director of Deltapark Neeltje Jans. “They are still considered a delicacy in Belgium and France, and there is no fishing quota,” she told Omroep Zeeland.

The hope is that the cuttlefish will adapt to the Oosterschelde and eventually reproduce, gradually increasing the wild population. Deltapark Neeltje Jans also has at least 200 cuttlefish eggs in their aquarium, which will be introduced to the wild once hatched.

The breeding project began about three years ago to return the animals to their natural habitat. Madelon van der Maas, an animal caretaker who participated in the release, called it the “icing on the cake.” She told the newspaper, “We have worked toward this for the past two years.”