Cockle-picking end for local wildlife? (From Western Telegraph)

Cockle-picking end for local wildlife?

West Angle Bay and the tidal Pembroke river are home to some of Wales' rarest plants and habitats.

They are also rich in cockles and for generations local people have gathered small bucketfuls of the shellfish to eat.

West Wales shell fishermen have now set their sights on the cockle beds and gathered in Pembrokeshire this week to test their commercial potential ahead of tests to determine if they are fit to sell to the public.

But the areas they are targeting are protected by five separate environmental designations and conservationists and local people say cockle picking on a commercial scale would be very damaging.

Francis Bunker, a marine biologist who lives on the shores of the Pembroke river at Bentlass, said commercial cockle picking had never taken place in this area and it should not be permitted until a full impact assessment is undertaken.

If this concludes that it could be damaging to wildlife, then it should not be allowed, he insisted. "Cockle gathering is totally inappropriate for this area.

To access the cockles would cause untold environmental damage in terms of trampling of the communities of wildlife living in the soft mud, especially sea grass, a very rare plant indeed,'' said Mr Bunker.

Pembroke river is described as a refuge for wildlife. Thousands of birds feed on the mud flats during the winter and in the summer shell duck nest and rear their young here.

More than 20 licensed cockle gatherers who usually make their living from the Burry inlet protested at Bentlass on Wednesday at the length of time it is taking to health classify the cockles.

The men have been out of work since September because a combination of mild winters and parasites has destroyed cockle beds.

But the men estimate there could be between 5,000 and 10,000 tonnes of cockles in the Pembroke river.

Initial health tests had been positive and had included A classifications which meant a cockle could be eaten raw without a person suffering any ill effects, said Rory Parsons, managing director of Lesley A. Parsons and Son, a shell fish processor in Burry Port.

"The cockles are first class but we are very concerned that the process is taking so long,'' he said.

"We first applied on August 20th last year and so far only one sample has been taken from Pembroke River and three from Angle Bay. Ideally there should be 13 samples taken one week apart.''

Mr Parsons dismissed the suggestions that the activity would impact on wildlife. "We are not talking about tractors and JCBs and the like, this is the old traditional method of gathering by hand, rake and riddle,'' he said.