§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are being made or have already been made to protect the environment or the local ecology before the introduction of alien species of shellfish is permitted.
§ Mr. CurryIt is an offence under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release or allow to escape into the wild any animal of a kind which is not ordinarily resident in and is not a regular visitor to Great Britain in a wild state; or which is included in part I of schedule 9 to that Act. Introductions into the wild may be authorised by a licence granted under section 16 and after consultation with the Nature Conservancy Council. These licences may be general or specific and subject to certain conditions. At present general licences permit releases of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) and Portuguese oysters (Crassostrea angulata). The release of any other species of alien shellfish would require a specific licence. Moreover, all deposits of molluscan shellfish, whether native or non-native, are subject to licensing under the Molluscan Shellfish (Control of Deposit) Order 1974, as varied.
The suitability of alien shellfish for cultivation in our waters is carefully investigated by fisheries department scientists, who take account of the scope for natural recruitment and potential ecological impact. Steps are also taken to ensure that any imported broodstock are free of alien shellfish parasites or diseases. There is no evidence of natural recruitment or ecological harm having arisen from the cultivation of Pacific or Portuguese oysters.