Regenerating the Helford Oyster Fishery

24 March  2007

After many years under the management of the Hodges family, in 2005 the Duchy of Cornwall Oyster Farm had been acquired by Ben Wright and Wright Bros Oyster Merchants. Ben gave a lively description of his current operations to rejuvenate the native oyster beds by lifting and cleaning all the stock, initially by hand – a daunting task but to be continued with a recently acquired oyster barge. He and his colleague Mark Mercer aimed to identify the most favourable beds for the good growth of the native flat oyster. Pacific oysters, clams and mussels would form part of the whole commercial enterprise to ensure a supply of shellfish throughout the year. In due course he hoped to involve the oysterage more with community events and demonstrate progress.

This talk followed the Annual General Meeting and the presentation of prizes for the Drawing Competition 2006.