Cockle banks reopen under new rules

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Hundreds of cocklers began work in the early hours of the morning in Morecambe Bay at the start of the new fishing season.

Authorities introduced a licensing system last September in a bid to crack down on illegal cockling following the tragedy three years ago. These powers were further strengthened earlier this year when the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee introduced a permit system for cockle gangmasters.

Lancashire Police said they had received no reports of injuries or arrests at the cockle beds.

The new laws and permit scheme aims to prevent a repeat of the 2004 tragedy where the cocklers drowned after becoming trapped by fast rising tides close to Hest Bank.

Officials say the permit scheme has reduced the number of permit holders from 1,564 in 2006 to about 450 in 2007. All permit holders have completed a one-day safety training course for intertidal shellfish handgathering.

A spokesman for the North Western and North Wales Sea Fisheries Committee said: "This course is intended to ensure that all fishermen are better prepared for the dangers and risks of fishing in intertidal areas such as Morecambe Bay."

The project is being overseen by the Gangmaster Licensing Authority (GLA) and aims to ensure the shellfish industry operates without exploitation of workers.

New offences of fishing without a GLA licence came into force on April 1 and GLA officers will be on duty patrolling beaches to enforce the laws. Fishermen are required to carry their permits and failure to show them when requested can result in a £5,000 fine.

GLA chairman Paul Whitehouse said the permit scheme was working. "So far we've issued five licences and two have been applied for," he said. "We think that there are more people out there who need to be licensed. But the success from the point of view of the cocklers is that we know that those gangmasters are legal, that they are following the rules as far as health and safety is concerned."