COCKLE FISHERIES TO CLOSE UNTIL SUMMER South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee have announced the closure of the Three Rivers Cockle Fishery until Wednesday 3rd June 2009, when the beds will re-open to fishing unless superseded by another management notice. The fortunes of the fishery have been variable in recent years following mystery cockle die-offs experienced also in the nearby Burry Inlet. In 2008 a good bed of cockle developed in the Taf estuary near Ginst point after being closed to fishing for some time by Committee byelaws. Unfortunately, in anticipation of the more widely felt economic downturn, no market could be found for the shellfish and they succumbed to the mystery blight in early summer before they could be harvested. Committee Managers are closing the fishery now to ensure that what cockle survives the unusually cold winter (mortalities may exceed 70% in even a normal winter) has chance to spawn and grow to marketable size. Surveys ahead of the 3rd June opening date will determine which, if any beds are to be fished. 2009 will be the last fishing season managed by the Committee as it is envisaged that control passes to the Welsh Assembly Government in April 2010 following the Ministerial decision last September. The future of the Committee’s long running application for a Licensing system to control numbers of cockle pickers is now being considered by WAG SWSFC |
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