A new type of expat: Squids are appearing on Dutch beaches

February and March already make 2026 a record year for squid sightings. As of now, more than 20 cases of washed-up European flying squids on Dutch beaches have been reported.

Record number of squid encounters on Dutch beaches

Residents of The Hague, Ameland, Schiermonnikoog, Ter Heijde and Bergen aan Zee have had unusual encounters at the beach. More and more squids are being washed up on the shore of the Netherlands, and 2026 has already become a record year for squid sightings.

The Frisian Islands alone saw 10 stranded squids in February and March this year. Findings by civilians, usually hikers and foresters, are registered through waarneming.nl. Observations are then passed on to Stichting Anemon, a Dutch research foundation focusing on sea life.

In the last 20 years, the Netherlands has seen an increase in squid numbers. Based on information from Stichtingen Anemon, RTL Nieuws explains that while strandings did occur before, they have only become a regular sight since 2006, and numbers are only growing. Sightings are part of a larger pattern of growing encounters with non-native species in Dutch waters.

Expat squids in the Netherlands

The squids are usually found in the deep-sea waters off the shore of the United Kingdom. With rising temperatures, they migrate to the Mediterranean Sea to hunt. They consume fish, smaller squid and shellfish. Now they are turning up in the North Sea and on the beaches of the Netherlands.

European flying squid are a relatively large oceanic, neritic type of squid. Their mantle length commonly lies between 250 millimetres and 350 millimetres. The largest mantle length ever reported measured at 750 millimetres.

Reasons as to why more squids are washing up in the Netherlands are still being speculated on. Researchers suggest that climate change might be at the root of the sightings. Warming sea waters may affect the migration habits of the animals and cause them to appear on the Dutch coast more frequently.