Inlet and Estuary - Gower - page 191

out adult cockle beds very quickly and that their numbers would need to be strictly controlled. In the end
the proposal was not pursued, although markets for seafood are increasing and extra demand is fuelling
higher prices. It is not inconceivable that one day tractor dredgers will be at work in the estuary, but it
would be a mistake. The current hand-raking fishery, locally based and with an enforceable daily quota
system, removes 20 to 30 per cent of the cockle biomass annually in a non-destructive way.
FIG 106. Trial of a mechanical cockle harvester in October 1992. (Jonathan Mullard)
This sustainable harvest was stopped abruptly in July 2001, however, when a sample of cockles in-
dicated the possibility of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, which could cause a serious health risk to anyone
eating them. It is caused by the presence of marine dinoflagellates Dinophysis spp. These dinoflagellates
are widely distributed and sometimes form 'red tides', but not all species produce toxins. The result from
eating infected products is vomiting and diarrhoea. Although the effectiveness of the test was disputed by
the gatherers a temporary prohibition order oncollecting was immediately placed bythe local authorities.
This ban was on and off from July 2001 until August 2002 with the longest break in this period being for
10 months, the greatest gap in gathering ever recorded. Although there was a previous break in 1996, as a
result of the oil spill from the Sea Empress disaster, the positive DSP tests created a very difficult time for
the gatherers, their families and the processors who make a living from the estuary.
New European directives on pollution, quality control and health have led to requirements for inward
investment and the 'picturesque' processing sheds previously used have been replaced by new facilities.
In 1994 a group of cockle gatherers created a joint company to process the shellfish, investing in a state-
of-the-art cooking facility capable of producing many tonnes daily; there are now three such plants in the
area and they take most of the cockles gathered. The benefits, however, have been top prices for quality
produceandincreasedmarkets.Theindustryisnolongerpurelylocalandmostofthecocklescollectedin
theestuaryaresentabroadtocountriessuchasFranceandSpain,whichhaveoverfishedtheirowncockle
beds. The high demand has considerably increased the price of cockles, which have risen from around
£200pertonneinthemid-1990stoaround£600pertonnein2004.ThetradeinBritainisnowworthover