Yesterday, 28th August, 2012, for a bit of
exercise and moments of quietness, I took a walk beside the River Crouch at
South Fambridge. This is my favourite place for walking. There I saw something
that I had not seen before, two motor fishing boats dredging, possibly for
oysters. Technically, the season for dredging oysters begins on 1st
September and continues for months containing the letter ‘r’, although Native
(local) oysters can legally be sold between 4th August and 14th
May.
There has been some concern* that the oyster population is
close to collapse through over-dredging, and a ban has been agreed between the
Essex Wildlife Trust and the Blackwater Oysterman’s Association, ratified by
law. The Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority has placed
a prohibition on the taking of Native oysters (ostrea edulis) from an area
defined in their website. (See note below.) As far as I interpret the banned
area, it includes the Rivers Roach, Crouch, Blackwater and Colne.
I personally do not have a penchant for oysters, but I am
startled by the fact that an Essex oysterman has claimed** to have sold 20,000 Rock
oysters a week and 200,000 Native oysters a year.
Note
Here’s an extract from the Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries
and Conservation Authority website:
SHELLFISH
BEDS BYELAW
PROHIBITION
ON TAKING NATIVE OYSTERS
Notice
of Closure
The Kent and Essex
Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority has implemented a prohibition on
the taking, removal or disturbance of any Native Oyster (ostrea edulis) from
within the following defined area under its Shellfish Beds Byelaw.
The closed area is
defined as the area enclosed by a line drawn from a position on the coast at
Clacton 51.47.223N 01.09.325E, connecting through points at: 51.43.853N
01.09.178E, 51.41.969N 01.08.367E, 51.40.021N 01.05.053E to Foulness Point at
position 51.37.206N 00.57.475E and thence following the line of mean high water
along the Essex coastline and returning to a position on the coast at Clacton
51.47.223N 01.09.325E.
This prohibition
comes into effect from 28 May 2012 and will be reviewed by 27 May 2013.
Links
*Essex estuary oyster population 'close to collapse'
**The
world (or a little bit of Essex) is our oyster as Britain heads for a bumper
season (2009)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1212363/The-world-little-bit-Essex-oyster-Britain-heads-bumper-season.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-1212363/The-world-little-bit-Essex-oyster-Britain-heads-bumper-season.html
Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority
Fisheries Action Group
West Mersea Oyster Dredging Match
Fishing Dredge
Oysters of the River Crouch and River Blackwater
1 comment:
City,
Thank you. You are welcome.
Cheers,
Bill.
Post a Comment