Fishermen oppose £20m Falmouth harbour dredging scheme
Fishermen have vowed to battle proposals to dredge Falmouth harbour amid an environmental row.
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) gave Falmouth Harbour Commissioners (FHC) consent for a dredging trial to begin next month.
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Falmouth Harbour from above
FHC chiefs want to build a marina and wharves for huge luxury liners, but the harbour needs to be dredged to make it deep enough.
Protesters say maerl beds providing habitat for sea-life will be destroyed.
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The move comes under the Port of Falmouth Development Initiative that includes FHC, Cornwall Council, A&P Falmouth, Pendennis Shipyard, Falmouth Petroleum Ltd and Cornwall Development Company.
Council chiefs said they will help pay for full-scale dredging which could cost around £20 million.
But fishermen say they will oppose proposals for taxpayers' money to be used.
Fisherman Chris Ranger said: "Previous fisheries, such as the Thames cockle fishery and an oyster fishery in Southampton, were completely wiped out by a dredge nearby."
Chris Ridgers, the council's cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: "It's vital we have this scheme to encourage more people into the port. It provides a guarantee for the future of the port."
Comments
by trelawneyone
Monday, July 30 2012, 5:06PM
“i am quite ashamed of these fishermen would it not be better to sit down and disguss this matter for the benefit of all rather than only think about themselves. i can see this project being very beneficial to jobs in the area. as a cornishman in my opinion this is why we have low paid and not a lot of jobs as we seem to always want to stand still and not go forward this leads to the stagnation we are always in.”