Mussel gathering causes concern (From Western Telegraph)

Mussel gathering causes concern

10News: Mussel concern - pic An increased mussel gathering operation in the Lawrenny area has left some residents fearing its environmental consequences.

But the South West Sea Fisheries Committee has said that the gatherers are working within the law.

A spokesperson said: There is a minimum catch size of 50 millimetres. We are monitoring the situation to make sure this is observed. We have had to warn one new group who were gathering too many small mussels.

However one resident claimed: Theyve stripped one side bare and now there are 18 men working on the quayside. Its going to affect the whole food chain. Its not just a few locals coming down to fill some buckets.

The Countryside Council for Wales is investigating the activity to assess its environmental impact. A spokesperson said: We have concerns, we just dont know how big these concerns are yet.

The Lawrenny area is within a Site of Specific Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is a candidate for recognition as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Local marine biologist, Francis Bunker said: The authorities have no additional powers to protect the SAC. They have to act under their existing powers only; which are too weak for proper protection of the marine environment and certainly dont cover such things as public rights - for example the public right to fish. But if they stand back and do nothing, the SAC will be stripped from beneath them.

The mussels form living reefs that are very important in the estuary ecosystem and to take them from such a sensitive area is folly.

Glyn Hyndman, one of the gatherers working on the Carew River shore, said around 15 mussel-gatherers from the Burry Inlet, near Llanelli, (also an SSSI) started working at Lawrenny after a health scare closed Burry Inlet beds.

He said: All we want to do is take around a third of the mussels and shift them to a lay until the meat content increases and they are commercially viable.

We dont want to take all the mussels; we want to leave some here to grow so that if were out of work in three of four years, we can come back and take a few more when the beds have recovered.

We were awarded the Maritime Stewardship Certificate for our work in the Inlet. If we were cowboys, we wouldnt have got that.

These people are going to drive us to claim benefit which we dont want to do. All we want to do is work.

CAPTION

Mussel gatherers at work on the shore opposite Lawrenny. Their work has sparked an environmental row. PICTURE: Francis Bunker