|
BYELAW 24 - TEMPORARY CLOSURE OF SHELLFISH FISHERIES
BYELAW 47 – PERMIT TO TAKE COCKLES WITHIN THE THREE RIVERS ESTUARY
________________________________________
The cockle beds in the Rivers Twyi, Taf and Gwendraeth, within the Three Rivers estuaries as defined, will be closed to fishing from 1 December 2009 until 17th July 2010, except at Llansteffan on Thursday 1st July (See 4. Public Notice below) .
Details of gathering opportunities will be announced nearer to that date.
All Cockle gathering both commercial and personal in areas subject to closure, is prohibited.
When open, cockle fishing involving the collection of > 8kg of cockles can take place only under permit on the designated day(s), places and times in accordance with the Public Notice and any conditions that Permit holders might be notified of from time to time.
Prospective Permit holders should complete the form below and follow the instructions therein.
Current conditions for the operation of a permit are :
- You may only fish for cockle within any area that has been made available for fishing. Areas may be closed at any time.
- Cockle minimum size will be 19 millimetres (Byelaw 13c.)
- Net bags are prohibited. Gathering is to be by rake and fixed mesh sieve only. Illegal instruments may be seized.
- Tamps are prohibited as is any other instrument used to fluidise the sand in a gathering operation.
- Vehicles on the intertidal sands or adjacent land, only with permission of the landowner.
- All other SWSFC byelaws to be observed. (see www.swsfc.org.uk for latest information).
- It is a requirement that the permit holder makes an accurate submission of catch taken under this permit, to be delivered to the SWSFC office no later than 30th April for the preceding year .
Note:
- You may commit an offence by gathering cockle for commercial purposes when a Prohibition Order has been imposed on shellfish hygiene grounds by Carmarthen County Council.
- You may commit an offence if you operate a vehicle away from the highway without the landowners permission or in a way that causes environmental damage to sensitive features.
- From April 2010, the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 increased some penalties for fisheries offences from £5000 maximum to £50,000 maximum.
_______________________________________
1 : Cockle Permit Application
2 : Periodic Catch Return Form
3 : Survey Map (March 2010)
4 : Public Notice (5th July 2010)
5: Fishery Map
6: Letter to permit holders (6 July 2010)
|
