Environmental
Environmental Code of Practice
FOWEY HARBOUR
The Fowey Estuary is a beautiful unspoilt area embodying a diversity of wildlife and landscapes which are valued by those who live, work and visit in the area.
The environmental management of the Harbour and its surrounding area is deemed essential by the Fowey Harbour Commissioners and every effort is made to safeguard these assets whilst maintaining a commercially viable port.
The prime objective of the Harbour Commissioners remains to meet the aims and objectives of their Environmental Policy Statement and to maintain a healthy and safe environment for everyone using the harbour.
HABITATS AND WILDLIFE
The Fowey Estuary is located within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and includes a wide variety of habitats.
In the lower estuary there are rocky headlands, caves and sandy beaches. Readymoney Cove is a designated Bathing Beach and a Marine Conservation Society (MCS) Recommended Beach .
Eelgrass beds are found in the lower estuary, this is the only true marine flowering plant. This diverse habitat is an important feeding and nursery area for fish.
There are areas of woodland bordering the estuary, some of which contain ancient trees.
Further up the estuary at Golant there are large sand and mud banks which are exposed at low tide, these areas provide feeding areas for wading birds.
At the top of the estuary at Lostwithiel there is an area of saltmarsh, a rare habitat in the Southwest.
FISHERIES
Migratory fish including Salmon and Sea Trout travel through the estuary to spawn upstream.
The estuary is also a bass nursery area with a closed season between 1 st May and 31 st December in all waters upstream of a line drawn from Penleath Point to the opposite Fowey shore (270ยบ).
There are designated shellfish waters in Pont Pill and Wiseman's Reach.
MARINE ANIMAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE
If you find a stranded marine animal:
- for live dolphins, porpoises or whales call British Divers Marine Life Rescue immediately on 01825 765 546
- for all dead marine animals call Cornwall Wildlife Trust immediately on 0845 201 2626
- for live seals in difficulty call the National Seal Sanctuary immediately on 01326 221361
BAIT DIGGING
Bait digging can result in changes to the food chain by removing food which would normally support wading birds, destruction of habitats and can also cause a hazard to navigation and human safety. Code of Conduct for digging bait
Harbour Byelaw 102 - Digging Bait No person shall, without permission in writing of the Harbour Master, in any part of the harbour dig lugworm, ragworm or any form of fishing bait within 20 feet (6 metres) of any mooring, pile, beacon, mark, hard, causeway, jetty, quay, wharf or similar structure or on the foreshore between the signs indicating areas of no digging
KEEPING THE ESTUARY TIDY
Pollution in the harbour is not only unsightly but can be hazardous to the health of humans and wildlife.
Waste management is an essential part of maintaining the estuary environment and the visual aesthetics of the harbour. The Fowey Harbour Commissioners are responsible for providing waste reception facilities for vessels in the harbour and have a Waste Management Plan.
There are waste receptacles at many landing points around the harbour as well as the afloat facilities provided during the busy summer period.
Recyclable waste may also be collected at many of these sites including glass, tins and plastic bottles. Fowey was one of the first harbours to introduce recycling facilities for its users.
The winter time often involves boat maintenance, which itself produces a variety of wase types. Fitting an oily bilge sock is a cheap and simple way of soaking up any oil in your bilges and preventing it from going into the harbour and causing unsightly pollution.
Oily waste from your vessel may be disposed of in the dedicated receptacle at Berrills Yard. Batteries may also be disposed of at this facility and old pyrotechnics may be disposed of via the Harbour Office.
The Harbour Commissioners also provide a sewage pump-out facility on Berrill's Yard Pontoon, this service is provided free of charge and tokens are available from the Harbour Office or Harbour Patrol.