Tralee Bay oyster success should spawn new festival

June 1995

OYSTERS in Tralee bay are thriving thanks to their shell-fish cousins from County Wexford. In the closest thing to a maritime local authority housing scheme, shells vacated by mussles from Wexford have been placed in the sea at Fenit as temporary homes for Oyster spawn.

So successful has the growth in oyster farming been in Tralee bay in recent years that the Chairman of the Tralee Oyster Fisheries Society. Michael Quinn, believes that it is time the town hosts an oyster festival to celebrate the fact.

“Tralee bay is one of the few oyster fishery reserves in Europe that has not been affected by disease and I think we should promote the fact that we have a prime breeding ground here by holding a festival,” said Mr Quinn.

“Currently the oyster industry is worth £250,000 to Fenit every year with up to 200 fishermen deriving some income from it. With development it could become 10 times bigger,” he added.

Oysters reproduce by releasing larvae into the water and after ten days the larvae looks for somewhere to settle. In order to develop, oyster larvae needs to find a shelter. Under the scheme plastic mesh bags full of mussel shells on steel tresses are placed on the sea bed providing the necessary shelter.

“The oysters remain in the shells over the winter with the plastic mesh keeping them safe from crabs and other predatory fish, before being spread out on the sea bed where it takes from throe to four years before they can be harvested,” he said.

Following recent outbreaks of disease which has destroyed oyster beds in other parts of country, Oyster fanners in Tralee bay have implemented strict controls to ensure the bay is kept disease free