Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC: Update on the Aquaculture Research Site

Including letters sent the The Chair, and The Editor...

And a few short films explaining the CIC's journey, please take the time to watch them...

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Scientific Contributions

The CIC has worked to fill critical data gaps between the fishing fleet and Cornwall IFCA (the regulatory authority). Our research has:

• Provided key citizen-science data on oyster growth
• Supported the first increase to the Minimum Landing Size (MLS) for native oysters in over 100 years
• Assisted in restoring native oyster populations through the #SavingESTER project
• Informed policy accepted by DEFRA and CIFCA

Even with operational challenges, we estimate that the oysters we managed contributed significantly to natural reproduction, supporting the long-term sustainability of the Fal Fishery.

Sadly, having been forced into non-trading since May 2024 (as it would be illegal for a director of any company, let alone a CIC, to trade when potentially insolvent) the insurance lapsed, the volunteers could not assist in managing the aquaculture site, and therefore it is unlikely that all 30,000 have survived... 

"but I have estimated, even with a 50% mortality each year, 
that those oysters reproduced somewhere in the region of
60,000,000,000 larvae while being stored"

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Lease and Rent Situation

In January 2024, the Port of Truro placed the CIC’s account on hold, at which point we were told we now owed £25,620 in arrears, despite believing a motion in 2021. Since then, Cornwall Harbours Board has referred to a potential total debt of £48,180. It is important to note that the account was now on hold, so no rent was being actively pursued for 2024–26.

Since 2021, the CIC has actively sought a formal resolution, including correspondence with the then Chair of the Cornwall Harbours Board, who attended our AGM in 2022, and also the Leader of Cornwall Council. We also referenced a council motion proposed by Cllr Jayne Kirkham (now MP) supporting the rent waiver for this community science project.

In addition, there has been no mention of the knock on effects of the CIC's only commercial customer in 2021-22, who went bust owing CIC thousands in October 2022.

We have offered to clear the AQRS site to save the harbour the associated cost, while also recovering the oysters for research purposes, in exchange for debt being waived...

In November, we were informed by a third party, that the Maritime Manager had suggested the debt would be "written off if the site was cleared", so I stepped lightly out of 'non-trading' and launched this unsuccessful Crowdfunder campaign... but only to have him deny that at a meeting with the three of us in January 2026...

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/savingester-oystergauge

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Regulatory and Industry Context

The Fal Fishery has long faced challenges:

• Historical regulatory practices allowed unsustainable harvesting methods that impacted oyster populations
• Some traditional practices persisted for decades without formal evaluation
• Our CIC work has helped provide data-driven solutions, improving sustainability and fairness across the fishery

While previous initiatives funded by CIFCA or other authorities have been limited in scope, the CIC’s work bridges the gap between traditional operations and evidence-based management, aiming to protect a critically endangered species while supporting the local heritage fishery.

Even though the authority had just secured a new Regulatory Order, they stated the common opinion (the act of 'balancing the native oyster on the gauge' used to measure the 'minimum landing size (MLS), rather than whether it "passed through" the gauge), was

"not always conforming to the measuring requirement
of the previous fishery [regulatory] order"

... by chance of an 'emergency bylaw' they decided to bring the new 'Regulatory Order' in line with the 'illegal practices', rather than enforce the original MLS that measured the width, and not as has been practiced for decades, the length.

My gut feeling, as an oysterman since 2008, as a merchant since 2009, as a citizen science data collector and analyst since 2010, trying to fulfil high value orders for our unique PDO Fal Oyster since 2016, and more recently lead on a dedicated project, to collect the scientific evidence required by the Regulatory Authority before any amendment to the MLS could be considered, was simply

the old 2"5/8th (66.7mm) oyster gauge,
when used in line with the regulations,
that "an oyster must not pass through a circular gauge"
was producing an excellent oyster

for landing (landing value is now calculated by weight, not number of oysters, as this was introduced in very recent decades by a merchant to save money, despite it, along with the new practice of measuring, meant many many more oysters were needed to fil a 10kg bucket), for consumption, and most importantly, was giving every oyster the chance to successfully reproduce more offspring (spat/juveniles), than was being removed. But that opinion fell on deaf ears, as I was apparently not qualified in collecting the data in the first place...

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Current Impact

Due to the financial uncertainty and potential insolvency, the CIC has been unable to trade since May 2024. This has affected:

• Insurance coverage for the site
• Volunteer involvement in oyster management
• The survival and growth of approximately 30,000 oysters at the AQRS

Our work has historically allowed other licence holders to store oysters during periods of river closure, and earn a value relative to those who exploit and export all legal oysters, without the oysters leaving their natural habitat, which boosts future reproductive biomass by 2/3rds, and supporting seasonal supply for local festivals and consumer markets. Without proper management and storage, both the heritage fishery and conservation efforts are at risk.

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Conclusion

The CIC has consistently acted in the public and environmental interest, providing citizen science, policy support, and practical conservation of the Fal Oyster. While financial and administrative challenges remain, we remain committed to:

• Protecting the native oyster population
• Sharing research and evidence with regulators
• Supporting sustainable aquaculture practices in the Fal Estuary

We hope this summary provides clarity and context around the CIC’s work, funding, and lease situation. Our aim has always been the long-term sustainability of the Fal Fishery and its unique heritage, including the added value of a sustainably managed PDO Fal Oyster, which must leave more recruits than the ones being harvested, i.e. a native oyster of at least 4-5 years old.

 

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To: Cornwall Harbours Board / Cornwall Council
From: Christopher j. Ranger / Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC
Date: 29 March 2026

Subject: Request for Review and Clarification of Bias in CHB Report on Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC

Dear Councillor Luke Rogers / Chair,

I am writing on behalf of Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC regarding the Cornwall Harbours Board report dated 19^th March 2026, presented by the Maritime Manager, concerning the Lower King Harry Reach Aquaculture Area.

While we acknowledge the report’s factual figures regarding lease terms and deposits, we wish to highlight important omissions and factual inconsistencies that create a misleading impression of the CIC’s operations and financial conduct:

1. Rent arrears misrepresentation: The report claims that the CIC “would owe £48,180 as of Q1 2026.” However, the account was officially placed on hold in January 2024, meaning no invoices or debt enforcement occurred for 2024–26. Including these figures in the total debt misrepresents the CIC’s financial position.
2. Funding allocation: The CIC received grants (~£100,000) which were legally restricted and used for project infrastructure, including renting a yard for aquaculture operations. The report implies these funds were withheld from rent, which is factually incorrect.
3. Efforts to resolve: Since 2021, the CIC has actively sought to resolve the matter formally, with written correspondence to the then Chair of CHB and the Leader of Cornwall Council, and through the motion submitted by Cllr Jayne Kirkham (now MP), supporting rent waiver for a “community science project.” These efforts are not reflected in the report, which emphasizes negatives and omissions.
4. Positive contributions ignored: The CIC’s work led to the first evidence-based update to the Minimum Landing Size for native oysters in over 100 years, restored oyster biomass, and engaged the community in citizen science. These contributions are absent from the report, further skewing the perception of CIC performance.

Given these points, we respectfully request:

• A formal review of the report to address factual inaccuracies and omissions.
• An official acknowledgment of CIC’s contributions and funding context in any board communications or public records.
• Consideration of procedural fairness in future board reporting, to ensure all facts—including systemic context—are presented.

We can provide all supporting documentation, including emails, correspondence, and funding evidence, to verify these points.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We hope this can lead to a balanced representation of the CIC’s work and a constructive resolution.

Yours sincerely,
Christopher j. Ranger
Founder / Director
Fal Fishery Cooperative CIC

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The following films will put all of this into context, please take some time to review them