South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee

South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee (SWSFC) has announced that the Three Rivers cockle fishery (being the estuaries of the rivers Taf, Tywi and Gwendraeth) will remain CLOSED to all cockle fishing until further notice.

Surveys in early April had shown there to be over 1000 tonnes of cockles mainly near Laugharne, and a decision in principle was made by the SWSFC that up to 500 tonnes could be taken during a weekend gathering regime commencing in late June.

However, in the first week of June cockles began to die and on the 9th June Carmarthenshire County Council Public Health department put in place a Temporary Prohibition Order prohibiting the collection of live shellfish from the Laugharne area.

The cockle beds were given the all clear on the 7 July but a further SWSFC survey has shown that in the meantime over half (52% by number, 66% by weight) of the cockles have subsequently died. The causes are unknown and attempts are being made to investigate the circumstances. However, a limited fishery to thin out the cockle stocks may have reduced or even prevented these losses.

The net effect is that insufficient cockle remains to warrant even a very short-term opening of the cockle fisheryunder fishery management legislation that does not enable the SWSFC to limit the number of people accessing the fishery.

The Committee has decided that these remaining cockles require to be given protection so that they act as a ‘broodstock’ for further cockle stocks and to form a valuable food source for migratory birds this winter.

Speaking for SWSFC its Director Phil Coates said, “It is extremely disappointing to note that significant quantities of cockles have died off, which represent a substantial economic loss with absolutely no environmental benefits whatsoever. This is despite the Committees best attempts to allow early fishing.

This now makes it even more important that those cockles that do remain are maintained. We are looking to Carmarthenshire County Council and other key landowners to exercise the vehicle controls they have promised, working with SWSFC and others such as CCW and the Police, to help curb illegal poaching effort on closed beds, such has been seen since the start of the year”.

A review of this closure will take place later in the year. In the meantime no one may gather cockle even for his or her own personal consumption.

In 2005, and following an unprecedented settlement of cockles in 2004, some 8,200 tonnes of cockles (first sale value £4.6 million, added value c £18.5 million) was taken under SWSFC permit and a daily gathering regime.
On 7th December 2005 the fishery was closed under byelaw 24 which allows for ‘Temporary Closure’ for the protection of shellfish purposes.
This Notice describes the review of that decision.
Carmarthenshire County Council and Countryside Council for Wales have made strong representation to the SWSFC that no Three Rivers cockle fishery should take place in 2006.
Further regulation of cockle fishing effort via Regulating Order is under active consideration of the SWSFC with Welsh Assembly Government (WAG, Fish)