FALMOUTH Traditional oyster boats raced around the harbour of Falmouth Bay in Cornwall to mark the start of the new River Fal oyster harvesting season.

Laws put in place to protect the ecology of the river beds prohibit the local fishermen from using any form of mechanical power. Instead, between the months of October and April they must rely on the traditional gaff-rigged working boats or two-handed haul-tow punts to dredge the oyster beds.

A record 20,000 oysters were shucked over the four-day Falmouth Oyster Festival attended by 30,000 visitors – and for the first time the leftover shells were recycled. Festivalgoers were encouraged to discard their shells in special bins around the Events Square. The leftover material, “culch”, will be returned to the Fal River oyster beds, where it will be used as a nursery base for next season’s spawn.

The native oysters that grow wild in the River Fal are different from the more common, farmed Pacific variety. Ostrea edulis are rounder and slower to grow, taking up to five years to reach maturity. The elongated, flatter Pacific or rock oysters (crassostrea gigas) take only two to three years to reach a marketable size.

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