A sharp decrease in oyster numbers has forced the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA) to impose a ban on oysters in the Solent area in an effort to boost their numbers.
Oyster numbers have been decreasing in an alarming way in the area – from 200 tonnes a year to just 20 tonnes in the past five years, the BBC reported.
This drop has been explained by IFCA as a consequence of that fact that oysters were “failing to reproduce.”
Therefore, the agency set the temporary closure from November 1, comprising the beds between the Isle of Wight and Hampshire and lasting for the whole season until February next year.
In this regard, deputy chief executive of the Southern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, Neil Richardson, pointed out that: “This oyster stock in The Solent was once the largest self-sustaining native oyster stock in Europe and supported the most significant fishery in The Solent,” reports the Isle of Wight County Press.
IFCA’s move, which has been supported by Natural England, is a consequence of record low catches last season and were part of a longer-term strategy to revive the beds with oyster restoration projects being explored.
As a compromise for fishermen who depend on oyster fishing for their livelihood, IFCA will allow two small sections: Langstone Harbour and Portsmouth Harbour to open for a shorter season.
While once fishermen would collect between one and two tonnes of oysters daily, they are now lucky to get three or four full bags, if that, forcing some fishermen to turn to other activities to earn a living. As many as 450 boats were exploiting the fishery, which employed more than 700 men back in 1978.
Surveys conducted annually reveal that the native oyster population has been decreasing since 2000 in the western Solent and 2006 in the eastern Solent.