Your Cornish Native Oysters are naturally harvested on the Port of Truro Oyster & Mussel Fishery, gathered by hand hauling traditional small dredges onboard the Alf Smythers and oyster punts Badger & Peter Mayes, graded to perfection by eye, purified in an approved environment, packaged personally by the crew, ordered by phone or online, delivered to you by reliable fish merchants in chilled packaging.

Photo - Kate Cornish 2011

A hand hauled dredge

Photo: Mike Thomas
On a 'Drift' towards Restronguet

Perhaps the most sustainable fishery in Cornwall is the Fal River oyster fishery (officially known as the Port of Truro Oyster Fishery), the last oyster fishery in Europe harvested under sail by Europe’s last commercial sailing fleet. Here on the River Fal. Cornish Native Oysters (oystera edulis) have been harvested in more or less the same, highly sustainable, fashion, without the use of mechanical power, for more than 500 years.

Photo: Ranger
Falmouth Working Boats on a 'drift'

For centuries, Cornish families have derived their livelihood from oyster dredging in the Carrick Roads and surrounding rivers. Many of the oyster boats, known as Falmouth Working Boats were built at boatyards around the Fal, with some of the oldest boats in the Oyster Fishery dating back as far as 1860. Alf Smythers was infact one of the last wooden boats, designed by Percy Dalton, specifically for use on these oyster beds.

Photo: Mike Thomas
Sailing back to the start of a 'Drift'

The oyster season starts on the 1st October and closes on the 31st March, the working hours are 0900hrs to 1500hrs Monday to Friday and 0900hrs to 1300hrs on Saturday. The oysters are wild and propagate naturally, consequently the stock size fluctuates form season to season and in order to prevent over-fishing a minimum size of 67mm is imposed and the Carrick Council oyster bailiff is responsible for policing it. All  dredgermen must be licensed.
Extract from HVMCA newsletter No.30 Spring 2005