The Fishermen's Quay at De Trap is the working end of Ostend's harbour, where the shrimping fleet ties up after the early-morning run. Arrive before nine to see the boats come in, watch the catches being unloaded, and buy fresh grey shrimps directly from the fishermen or from the stalls that line the quay. The grey shrimps of the Belgian coast — peeled by hand in Morocco before being shipped back and sold as "Zeebrugge shrimps" — are a local institution; here you get them actually fresh.
The square at the quay holds a 1953 monument by sculptor Willy Kreits dedicated to seamen lost at sea. Fishermen and naval veterans gather here each year to mark losses. The atmosphere of the quay is unlike anywhere else in Ostend — salt, rope, and diesel, entirely unornamented for tourism.