Leasowe Cockle Fishery Update

At an Extraordinary Meeting of our Technical, Science and Byelaw Sub-Committee (TSB) today, the Authority has undertaken to defer the opening of the Leasowe Cockle Fishery until further notice. This is in light of the recently reported pollution incident from the Stanlow Oil Refinery and our subsequent close liaison with our environmental health partners at Mersey Port Health Authority (PHA).

The ongoing closure protects all our stakeholders and allows time for Mersey PHA to undertake appropriate sampling of the bed to ensure levels of hydrocarbons and other potential contaminants are safe. If and when the Authority receives communication from Mersey PHA that the cockles are safe for human consumption, we will move to open the bed to our Byelaw 3 permits holders as soon as practicable.

The Authority would like to make clear that, if not for the reported pollution incident at Stanlow, the fishery would have opened to our permitted fishers on 30th September as previously proposed.