Cuttlefish, Belgium's Fish of the Year, and When Anglers Meet It

On 7 October, at the fish auction in Oostende, the Flemish fishing sector named the common cuttlefish, zeekat in Dutch, its Fish of the Year 2026. Measured by weight, it is now the species Belgian boats land most: 2,525 tonnes in 2025, ahead of sole at 2,000 tonnes and plaice at 1,564. Sole still earns the most, about 40 percent of the fleet’s landing value, because a kilo of sole sells for far more. It used to come up mostly as bycatch in nets set for sole.

This piece explains what a cuttlefish is, why there are suddenly so many, why its year has two seasons, and how an angler can catch it and its cousin the squid from the coast.

What is a cuttlefish?

A cuttlefish is a mollusc, a relative of snails and mussels that has taken its shell inside the body. That shell is the cuttlebone, the light, chalky oval that washes up on Belgian beaches every summer. Inside, it is built of thin chambers. The animal adjusts the amount of liquid in those chambers, changing its overall density so it can stay suspended without constantly swimming. The shell also sets a depth limit: enough water pressure will crush it.

Around the body runs a thin fin like a skirt, which ripples to move it gently forward or back. For speed, it squirts water through a funnel. It has eight short arms and two long tentacles that stay tucked away until it strikes, shooting out to grab a shrimp or a small fish. By day it often lies buried in sand with only its eyes showing. It hunts mostly at dusk and at night.

Its skin is one of the most remarkable things in the sea. It holds a dense layer of tiny pigment sacs, each ringed by muscle, and the animal opens and closes them under direct control of its brain. Those pigment sacs change its colour and pattern. Separate muscular bumps called papillae change the texture, lifting the skin into ridges and spikes or flattening it again. Males use the same skin to court, flashing bold black and white stripes at rivals.

Why are there so many now?

Three things stack up.

The first is its pace of life. A cuttlefish lives one to two years, breeds once and dies. A population built that way can swing hard from year to year. A mild winter and a good spring can produce a large generation, and help more young survive.

The second is warmer water. Cuttlefish eggs develop faster in warmer water. A study of citizen-science records from 1995 to 2021 found that spawning begins in the western Channel and progresses eastward as the water warms through spring. The timing and extent of spawning grounds vary with temperature.

The third is the boats. Cuttlefish has no catch quota, it sells well in Spain, Italy and Portugal, and some Belgian skippers now switch to it on purpose for the winter. Landings rose 25 percent in 2024 and another 12 percent in 2025.

Where is it in autumn and winter?

Offshore. As the coastal water cools in autumn, cuttlefish move into deeper water in the Channel, where the temperature drops less in winter. That is where the Belgian fleet follows them. The first ones turn up in the nets in October, and the targeted fishery runs from November to the end of winter, mostly in the eastern and western Channel. During the season, fresh cuttlefish reach the auction in Oostende every two days.

For an angler on the Belgian coast, this means the zeekat on the news right now is mostly out of reach. It is far out at sea.

When does it come to the coast?

In spring. When the coastal water reaches about 11 to 12 °C, usually from April, the adults move into shallow water to breed. In the Oosterschelde, the main spawning season runs roughly April to June. Timing varies along the coast and between years.

The female lays her eggs one by one and fixes them in clusters to anything firm: seagrass, ropes, buoy lines, the mesh of a lobster pot. Each egg is about a centimetre long and black, because she coats it with her own ink. A cluster looks like a bunch of small dark grapes. After laying, the adults are exhausted and die soon after.

Inside the eggs, the young develop over several weeks to a few months, depending on the water temperature. They hatch as tiny copies of the adults, with a working cuttlebone and colour-changing skin from the first day. Through summer they feed and grow close to the coast, and in autumn they head out to the Channel, the same way their parents did.

Who is under the harbour lights in October?

Squid. In Dutch, inktvis covers both animals, which is why they get mixed up. They are easy to tell apart once one is in the hand.

A squid is long and torpedo-shaped, with two fins at the tail end. Inside it carries a thin, clear strip called the pen, the last trace of a shell, which feels like a sliver of plastic. It is an open-water swimmer, built for speed. A cuttlefish is broad and flat, with its fin around the whole body, and carries the chalky cuttlebone. It stays near the bottom.

Common squid, Loligo vulgaris, also follow a seasonal cycle. A study of spawning grounds found winter and early spring spawning in the western Channel, extending towards Dutch and German coasts as the water warms in spring. Feeding and spawning can bring squid into coastal waters at different times. At night, quay lights draw small fish and shrimp, giving hunting squid a place to find prey.

For shore anglers, autumn and winter squid fishing and the spring arrival of cuttlefish offer different chances to meet these animals. Local catches still depend on water temperature, shelter and where the animals are feeding.

How do you catch them?

Both are caught with the same lure, a squid jig. It is shaped like a shrimp and has no ordinary hook. At the tail sits a crown of fine, barbless pins. A cuttlefish or squid wraps its arms around the jig and the pins hold it as long as the line stays tight.

Use a light spinning rod matched to the weight of the jig. A thin braided line helps you feel the light take.

The method is slow. Cast, let the jig sink close to the bottom, then lift the rod tip in one or two short sweeps and let the jig glide back down. Most takes come during that pause. You feel extra weight, rarely a sharp knock. Keep the line tight and wind in steadily. A sudden jerk tears the pins out of the soft arms.

For squid, fish after dark from autumn into winter, around lit quays, harbour mouths and pier heads. Work the edge of the light. Black ink stains on the stones of a quay show where others have caught them before. Some anglers rig a second, unweighted jig a little above the first to cover more depth.

For cuttlefish, fish from April to June, from piers and breakwaters over sand or seagrass, close to ropes and other structure. Dusk works well, and so do calm, clear days. Keep the jig lower and slower than for squid, since cuttlefish feed close to the bottom.

Both animals defend themselves with ink. Lift them out with the funnel pointing away from you and let them empty into the water before you bring them up. If you find egg clusters on a rope or a pot in spring, leave them in the water. Each one is the next generation.

Where are you allowed to fish?

Sea angling is covered by Belgium’s coastal fishing rules, with additional rules set by each town. Oostende allows beach angling without a permit, but bans it in bathing zones while lifeguards are on duty. Permission on piers and breakwaters depends on the exact structure and which side you fish.

• Oostende: the eastern pier (Oosterstaketsel), towards the sea, is free. The old western pier (Westerstaketsel), the harbour and the channel side of the eastern breakwater need a Flemish fishing permit. Fishing from the western breakwater is prohibited (oostende.be).
• Nieuwpoort: the western pier (Westerstaketsel) is free since January 2026, though works may close parts of it (nieuwpoort.be).
• Blankenberge: the Pier and the eastern pier (Oosterstaketsel) need a town permit, €30 a year (blankenberge.be).

Rules change, so check the town's page before you go.

How do you clean and cook them?

Pull the head and arms away from the body. The guts and the ink sac come with them. In a squid, slide out the pen. In a cuttlefish, cut open the body and lift out the cuttlebone. Cut the arms off just in front of the eyes and press out the hard beak in the middle. Rinse everything. The ink sac can be saved for a black risotto or pasta.

Cuttlefish meat is firm, with a slightly nutty taste. It suits two opposite treatments: a minute or two over high heat on a grill or in a pan, or a long, slow stew. Anything in between makes it tough. Squid cooks the same way, only faster.

Belgium lands thousands of tonnes of cuttlefish a year, with export markets including Spain, Italy and Portugal. From April, it swims along our own beaches.