Night-time ormering made illegal again after 25 years

Committee president Neil Inder explained that the practice had only been allowed because of a drafting error in the previous legislation, which was passed in 1997. Gathering the mollusc in the dark had previously been banned since 1933.

Deputy Inder described significant problems with allowing it to continue, which included the inability to provide inspectors to patrol at night in order to ensure only ormers of 80mm or longer were being collected, and from the permitted depth.

In addition, there was concern that ormering in the dark had effectively doubled the ormering tides, leading to a greater diminution of stocks.

Deputy Lyndon Trott also highlighted the potential for safety concerns. He described having felt disorientated on the one occasion he had done it and he had been grateful to have a spare torch when his first ‘packed up’.

Deputy Marc Leadbeater stated his ambition to have the size limit increased to 100mm, saying he would not take ormers smaller than that.

Deputy Adrian Gabriel commended the legislation and stressed the importance of retaining ormering as an amateur pastime, allowing people to gather a meal for family members or perhaps infirm neighbours, instead of allowing it to become a commercial enterprise, as he felt was becoming the case.

Only Deputy Gavin St Pier voted against the ordinance, saying that if night-time ormering had been such a problem, then the error would surely have been picked up years earlier than it had been. 32 members supported it, with three abstaining and four absent.

The first ormering tide of the season will be on Friday 6 January and as the tide is fairly high at sunrise, the first legal and practical opportunity to gather ormers will be late morning on that day.