Information about the restrictions on harvesting shellfish beds
Commercial harvesting
Commercial harvesting of shellfish that occurs within the borough is regulated through the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Borough Council to ensure that harvested shellfish come from areas that are monitored and classified in accordance with regulation.
Shellfish must not be commercially harvested from beds outside a classified area. Any shellfish from classified beds must be handled and processed according to the regulations.
For more information see the Food Standards Agency (FSA) website.
For maps of the Classified Beds, see the Centre for Environment, Fisheries Aquaculture Science (CEFAS) website.
Information for the public
While the restrictions that are in place for commercial harvesters do not apply to the public, care should be taken when selecting the location to gather shellfish and the health of the shellfish.
The collection of shellfish from areas that are not classified or have some restrictions in place is not recommended. See the FSA and CEFAS websites for more information.
Not all of the classified shellfish areas in the borough are public fisheries and permission from the owners of private fisheries should be sought before collecting shellfish.