WFA
Well-Known Member
Yes, sorry for the hasty response!
Update on shellfish layings in the Walton Backwaters
- Thread starter Cantata
- Start date
Keith 66
Well-Known Member
The Environmental Health department of the local council should be aware of oyster harvesting & water quality.
My wife was involved with this as food safety officer for Southend some years ago.
This involved regular oyster patrols along the foreshore to stop illegal oyster picking, West of the pier it was OK, East of the pier it was not, this was due to reduced water quality. Oysters will self sow wherever they get the chance & the Southend shore is covered in them. Gangs of Chinese & eastern europeans often in evidence.
All the oysters confiscated were usually sent for incineration at the port health place in Gravesend.
The point is if oysters are being harvested, where is the paper trail? Water quality records? If not good enough water quality. Oysters must go to a depuration plant to be purge cleaned or relaid elsewhere where the water is clean.
Are these oysters just being sold under the radar?
My wife was involved with this as food safety officer for Southend some years ago.
This involved regular oyster patrols along the foreshore to stop illegal oyster picking, West of the pier it was OK, East of the pier it was not, this was due to reduced water quality. Oysters will self sow wherever they get the chance & the Southend shore is covered in them. Gangs of Chinese & eastern europeans often in evidence.
All the oysters confiscated were usually sent for incineration at the port health place in Gravesend.
The point is if oysters are being harvested, where is the paper trail? Water quality records? If not good enough water quality. Oysters must go to a depuration plant to be purge cleaned or relaid elsewhere where the water is clean.
Are these oysters just being sold under the radar?
Malish
Well-Known Member
This site gives current information from CEFAS (Weymouth) Classification zone maps - Cefas (Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science)
Scroll to the bottom of the web page for Walton Backwaters, example below
Scroll to the bottom of the web page for Walton Backwaters, example below
Sailing steve
Well-Known Member
No worries.
The more involvement and discussion there is around protecting the interests of leisure sailors the better I think.
Keith 66
Well-Known Member
As an area classified as B Quality water any oysters lifted from there would have to be relaid elsewhere or go to a depuration plant. They cannot be put on the market & sold as is.
Egbod
Well-Known Member
I cannot find the reference now but in the past this was explained to me as- you are allowed to anchor in a shellfish area but if any of the shellfish are damaged by a vessel grounding on them then damages are payable.
This may be complicated now as some shellfish area are not just laying on the seabed but raised on platforms in bags which could easily trap an anchor.
Egret
Well-Known Member
If baskets are being laid, a detailed plan published would be useful showing where baskets/layings actually are - and withy or buoy marking, locating them - Like a Notice to Mariners?
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nortada
Well-Known Member
Posting as one who is based in the Backwaters and anchored extensively for many years, oyster bed restrictions have never caused me any problems.
Kirby Creek and the Wade do not provide easy access to landing sites, which in themselves are a long way from vehicular communications so rarely used for anchoring.
There are plenty of alternative site to anchor and always a ‘free buoy’ or two in the Walton Channel so hopefully we can all continue to live in harmony and should I wish it, visit the Harbour Lights for some oysters.
If this latest oyster venture proves successful, hopefully other local restaurants will have oysters on their menu, to the benefit of both the community and the local economy.
Kirby Creek and the Wade do not provide easy access to landing sites, which in themselves are a long way from vehicular communications so rarely used for anchoring.
There are plenty of alternative site to anchor and always a ‘free buoy’ or two in the Walton Channel so hopefully we can all continue to live in harmony and should I wish it, visit the Harbour Lights for some oysters.
If this latest oyster venture proves successful, hopefully other local restaurants will have oysters on their menu, to the benefit of both the community and the local economy.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
I don't eat oysters but in general I would favour something that boosts the local economy. I have only anchored in Kirby Creek a couple of times over the years, and I think it would be a pity if a quiet anchorage such as this were to become unavailable and don't see why an approved anchoring area couldn't be set out. Also, it can be one of the few comfortable places for a small boat in bad weather.
nortada
Well-Known Member
Even when the Kirby Oyster Bed was active it, didn’t cover the whole creek so there was still a deep water anchorage near Skipper Island, or at the Hamford Water end tucked in behind Horsey Island. Landermere Creek can also offer good protection in all wind directions.
Looked as if the blue hulled boat was out this morning and there was dinghy racing but no conflict.
As many will know, the Walton and Frinton Yacht Club is resident in the Backwater but to my knowledge concerns over anchoring and oysters has not been voiced.
WFA
Well-Known Member
I think you are missing the point about approved fisheries granting the operator to work the fishery on a commercial basis within the parameters of the licence or order and without the hindrance of vessels anchoring within boundaries of the fishery. If a Several Order exists the details will be available in the public domain.
Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
I'm mystified why anyone would want an oyster after tasting one for the first time . I can understand why some advise to swallow them whole. 
Does anyone here like them ?
Does anyone here like them ?
sarabande
Well-Known Member
Yes x 12,
There's an oyster farm at Porlock Bay. Unfortunately they have chosen to breed Pacific oysters rather than natives.
There's an oyster farm at Porlock Bay. Unfortunately they have chosen to breed Pacific oysters rather than natives.
Sailing steve
Well-Known Member
Ooo yes.I'm mystified why anyone would want an oyster after tasting one for the first time . I can understand why some advise to swallow them whole.
Does anyone here like them ?
Delicious with glass or two of white wine I'll have a dozen anytime in France and especially when on the Atlantic coast around the Bassin d'Arcachon. But I won't eat any shellfish harvested from UK waters because of the tendency of our water utilities to add shareholder value by sweetening our coasts and rivers with millions of litres of raw sewage whenever they can get away with it.
Sailing steve
Well-Known Member
That remoteness is exactly the attraction though.
If you're not ready to dry out and don't want to go ashore Kirby creek in my view is the best anchorage by far in the whole of the backwaters. It's sheltered from all directions and doesn't suffer the wind over tide chop Hamford water often can.
Since the Several Order has expired there's often been boats anchored there enjoying the peace and quiet and long may that continue.
nortada
Well-Known Member
If you want a safe, secluded, isolated anchorage, try Landermere - you won’t dry out or around Skippers Island.
Never heard of anybody going ashore in Kirby, why would they - nothing there.
Never seen anybody anchor on the Wade, again why would they
Previously, the oyster beds had little impact on anchoring - rather it was the attitude to anchoring in Kirby where the oyster bed only covered part of the creek, that caused the problems.
Possibly should add, our home (up by the Naze) gives use an unrivalled view of all of the Backwaters and what goes on there.
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Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
But do they make you randy ?
Asking for a friend .
Boathook
Well-Known Member
The oysters that I had on the French West coast all went through the cleaning tanks. The same with the UK ones apart from maybe parts of Scotland.
Juan Twothree
Well-Known Member
My wife and I had half a dozen oysters the other night, to test their aphrodisiac qualities.
But only four of them worked.
MikeBz
Well-Known Member
Pacific (gigas) oysters are a highly invasive non-native species and have caused problems with infestation in many places around our coastline, including Brightlingsea: https://www.researchgate.net/figure...ingsea-Essex-Syvret-et-al-2008_fig2_266287248. I’m strongly of the view that cultivation of them should be banned.