P-05-778 Protect the Razor Clams on Llanfairfechan Beach, Correspondence – Petitioner to Committee, 23.01.20

Dear Petition Committee Members

Re: Protect the razor clams on Llanfairfechan Beach

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the letter from Lesley Griffiths AC/AM.

The Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs makes a significant point when it is noted that:

“Existing fisheries legislation sets a minimum capture size of 100mm but no limit on the amount an individual may gather”. This point clearly highlights a deficit in current legislation protecting the razor clams and leads me to reiterate for the Committee members the key reasons for the petition being raised ie.that the Welsh Government:

l ratify a ‘closed’ season for the harvesting of razor clams aligned to the spawning season i.e. May to September;

l draw up regulations in addition to the minimum landing size of 10cm to include set quotas that individuals are allowed to take; and

l bring forward legislation and regulations to protect the razor clams on Llanfairfechan beach.

It is pleasing to report that judging by the comments made on the local Facebook page that the residents of Llanfairfechan are encouraged by the continuing closure of the razor beds. Hopefully this action will provide additional time for the razor clam beds to recover and  allow time for the extensive study of the tidal environment and razor clam population to take place.

I hope these comments may be included/raised at the February Meeting of the Petition Committee.

Once again thank you for your ongoing interest and actions on resolving this important local issue.

Yours sincerely

Vanessa L Dye(Mrs)