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Anyone familiar with any laws regarding the above topic?
I'm lucky enough to work right next to the sea. I can fish and gather oysters, clams, mussels etc. pretty much whenever I want from the small beach nearby.
Recently I am becoming concerned about what seems to be a large group gathering at every low tide. I'm almost certain they aren't bait diggers. Having fished on charter boats I know you're not allowed to sell your catch and wondered if similar laws regarding shellfish apply here.
As well as the possibilty that my own foraging will suffer, the shellfish provide food for a large number of waders and other birds.

Ask around locally to see if anyone else has noticed or knows who's responsible (ie. are they just opportunists or a work party hired by someone) then contact your local authority. Someone there should be able to tell you if permits/permission are required and where the law stands. Besides which, doing so will at least give them the heads up about your concerns and what's going on.

If they are selling them then they have to be licenced. get in touch with your local deffra fisheries dept as well as the council

These are the people to contact; http://www.southernsfc.org.uk/

Northern Boy wrote:These are the people to contact; http://www.southernsfc.org.uk/

Thanks for that. Couple of the other guys at work also noticed them, pretty sure they're not bait diggers too!

The rules on what you can take vary from area to area depending on the Sea Fisheries Committee and local by laws and they do vary quite a bit around our coast so whats legal in one area may be an offence if you cross a SFC border. The SFC's are financed by the local authority and are usually made up of commercial fishermen but in recent years other stakeholders such as Recreational Sea Anglers (RSA) have been invited in.