To inform Members of the 2006 mussel spatfall in Morecambe Bay and authorisations to harvest and relay seed mussels in the District.

1.1 There has been an exceptionally heavy spatfall of mussels in Morecambe Bay in 2006. Mussels have settled on all of the usual areas of the intertidal beds, and on the South America skear within the Morecambe Bay Fishery Order. In addition, there were heavy settlements of mussels further out in the Bay, on areas that do not normally receive mussel spatfall.

2.1 Licences and authorisations to dredge for seed mussels in the Morecambe Bay Fishery Order were issued in July, and harvesting of the mussels was very successful. As well as the transfer of mussels to the Menai Strait Several fishery, a number of other proposals were progressed by Officers.

2.2 Ballast Bank. Ballast Bank is an area within the Menai Strait Fishery Order which is operated as a Regulated Fishery, with a limited number of gatherers licensed to hand-pick mussels. The area is not prolific, usually receiving only limited spatfalls, and much of the stock is typically old and of poor quality. A proposal was made to relay 1,000 tonnes of mussels from Morecambe Bay onto Ballast Bank, in order to over-winter and harden the stock. It was agreed that half of this stock would be removed by dredger in 2007, with half being left to benefit the hand-gathering fishery. The area is within the Menai Strait and Conwy Bay SAC, and assent was sought from the Countryside Council for Wales (CCW) for the operation. CCW agreed that the operation would not have a significant effect on the SAC and the relaying took place in August.

2.3 Conwy. In recent years the Conwy mussel fishery has been sustained by relaying mussels from the higher intertidal beds into the area around the river channel. Mussel spatfalls at Conwy have been poor in recent years, however, and it has been increasingly difficult to find enough indigenous stock for a worthwhile relaying. It was proposed to relay 750 tonnes of mussels on a mid-tidal area of the Morfa bed, and a lower area on the Gamlwys bed. Again, the proposal is to remove half of the mussels by dredging next summer, with the other half left to enhance the stocks in the Conwy Fishery. Assent from CCW was required under the Habitats directive and the Wildlife & Countryside Act, and the operation took place in August.

2.4 Walney Channel. An area along the east side of the Walney Channel, adjacent to Foulney Twist, has been used in the past for the over-wintering of seed mussels. Success has varied, but can be good depending upon stocking density and the state of the ground. A proposal was made to relay 2,500 tonnes of seed mussel from the Morecambe Bay Fishery Order onto this area. Agreement was reached with English Nature that this would have no significant effect upon the Morecambe Bay SAC, on condition that the mussels are removed again next year, and do not grow on to form a large hand-gathering fishery. English Nature has made this stipulation to minimise the possibility of damage and disturbance to the Foulney Island area.

2.5 Ring Hole. An application was received to experimentally relay mussels in the Ring Hole at Morecambe. The applicants wished to dredge seed mussels and to relay up to 500 tonnes sublittorally in the Ring Hole to see if the area is suitable for mussel cultivation. If successful, the operation could form the basis for a Several Fishery. As bottom cultivation of mussels has not been previously tried in this area, the applicants wished to treat the operation as a scientific experiment, as happened with earlier trial mussel relaying elsewhere in Morecambe Bay. Agreement was reached with English Nature that the project would not significantly affect the Morecambe Bay SAC and it is understood that the deposition of mussels will commence soon. The applicants will seek a Byelaw 1 authorisation to dredge any surviving mussels that reach marketable size, and assess the yield and growth rate of the mussels.

3.1 All of the operations described above will require authorisations to recover mussels by dredging. The operations at Ballast Bank, Conwy and the Walney Channel will require authorisations under Byelaws 12 and 15, to use a dredge and to fish for undersized mussels. Recovery of mussels from the Ring Hole would best be authorised under Byelaw 1, as a scientific experiment yielding quantified results. It is suggested that Officers should be empowered to issue these authorisations at the appropriate times.

4.1 Heysham Flat skear, near Morecambe, has again received a very heavy mussel spatfall this year. Much of the spat has settled at a relatively high level on the bed, where experience has shown that it does not survive well. In the autumn of 2005 authorisations were issued for the hand-gathering of part of this stock.

4.2 The 2006 spatfall has been even heavier than the prolific 2005 settlement, and has built up mud and become unstable very early in the year. Officers have therefore worked to issue authorisations for seed hand-gathering at the earliest possible date. The operation is to be regarded as a "plan or project" under the terms of the Habitats Regulations, and the advice from English Nature was that it was likely to have a significant effect on the Morecambe Bay SAC. It was therefore necessary to carry out an appropriate assessment of the activity. English Nature accepted that the seed harvesting would not have an impact on the integrity of the site provided that measures were taken to safeguard colonies of the honeycomb worm, Sabellaria, which are prevalent in the area. Authorisations were issued for the operation to commence on 24^th August.

5.1 An area of undersized mussels has been found on the western edge of Traeth Lafan. The mussels are part of a substantial bed of seed that lies mainly within Area 5 of the Menai Strait Fishery Order. The origin of these mussels is not clear. They may be the result of a natural spatfall in that area. Alternatively, they could be mussels that have been relayed from Morecambe Bay and have drifted off Area 5. The mussels were inspected in early August. Towards the bottom of the shore the mussels were very dense and had accumulated a layer of soft mud beneath them. In many places they were very loose, with no byssal attachment. They appeared to be all of a similar size, apparently from a single settlement. Towards the top of the shore the mussels were on a more cobbly substrate, and were varied in size. Here, there was clear evidence that some had survived last winter, and were quite likely to grow to harvestable size. The lessee of Area 5 is going to remove those mussels within his laying, for relaying elsewhere, as they are clearly loose and likely to be lost.

5.2 On September 1^st it is likely that there will be considerable activity on Traeth Lafan, as a substantial cockle fishery there is probable. There will be attendant issues of enforcement, and there will undoubtedly be concerns regarding the environmental and social effects of the fishery and its access.

5.3 Officers consider that it would not be appropriate to authorise the removal of the undersized mussels at this time. It is suggested that the condition of the mussels should be re-assessed later in the year, when the mussels on Area 5 have been removed and the cockle fishery has stabilised or died down, and the proposal should be determined, if necessary, at the next meeting of the Joint Committee.