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Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team has warned people could face fines over illegal shellfish gathering along the North Wirral foreshore.
Two officers from the North Western Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority visited the coastguard station while on patrol along the Wirral coastline.
The visit prompted the team to remind people in Wallasey and across the Wirral of the restrictions in place on collecting mussels, clams, and cockles from shellfish beds. The practice is also considered disruptive, because it can cause ecological damage, and can disrupt shorebirds, if the cockling is at a high rate in one area.
In a social media post, the team said: "Under NWIFCA Byelaw 2 – North Wirral Foreshore Bivalve Molluscs, the gathering of shellfish, including cockles, mussels and clams, is prohibited from the affected shellfish beds.
These restrictions are not new and are in place to help protect and manage shellfish stocks along our coastline. Under the byelaw: Gathering shellfish is an offence. Possessing equipment used for gathering shellfish can also constitute an offence. Anyone convicted of breaching the byelaw could face an unlimited fine."
Coastguard rescue officers do not enforce the restrictions, but they have been called to incidents which involve cockling, where people have become cut off by the tide as a result.
The authority warned people against cockling, as they can easily get cut off by the tide on Wirral's many sandbanks and mudflats.
They have been working alongside North Wirral Foreshore Bivalve Molluscs to reduce risks to those enjoying the Wirral coastline and raising awareness of cockling.
