Native Oysters have been fished from the River Fal Estuary since Roman times to date.
Fal Native Oysters are fished from the River Fal Estuary, near the seaside town of Falmouth, Cornwall, England.
The Fal is a natural and wild fishery. The Fal catchment area can be described as the Truro Port Fishery, which covers an area of 2,721 acres, and includes all parts of Truro and Falmouth Harbours and the bed of Truro, Fal and Tresillian rivers.
The Native Oyster fisheries in the Fal are under the management of Cornwall IFCA (Inland Fisheries and Conservation Authority), and licensed by the Cornwall IFCA via the Fal Fishery order.
Governed by ancient laws to ensure the sustainability of Native Oyster stocks: Native Oysters from the Truro Port Fishery may be fished by licensed fishermen (licenses are valid for one season only) at certain times (from 9 am to 3 pm Monday to Friday; and from 9 am to 1 pm Saturday) from 1 October to 31 March each year, with the use of sail or oar vessels and hand-hauled dredges. These vessels and dredges are in the same style as those used historically and date back to descriptions from the 1750. No motor or mechanical power is allowed.
Monday to Saturday, about 20 or so licensed fishermen in their oyster boats fish for Native Oysters from the River Fal in Cornwall from 1 October to 31 March each year. Most of the oyster boats were built at boatyards around the River Fal, and some of the oldest boats still in use at the Oyster Fishery date back to 1860.
To fish for Native Oysters from the River Fal, licenced fishermen must use sail or oar vessels; rely on their experience and the winds and tides to manoeuvre their vessels and tow their small oyster dredges across the seabed; haul their dredges aboard by hand or winch; sort their catch on board and retain oysters of market size; and return the rest of the catch to the sea.
Once landed, these oysters are cleaned, sized, and purified for a minimum of 42 hours (in accordance with UK and EU laws). After that, these oysters are packed live to order and dispatched the same day, for next day courier delivery to our clients' addresses in mainland UK.
Fal Native Oysters are featured on menus at restaurants and hotels in the UK.
The Falmouth Oyster Festival is held at the seaside town of Falmouth in October each year. This popular festival attracts tens of thousands of people, who enjoy oysters, local food and drink, live music, entertainment and activities.
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