Tony Legg, who runs an aquaculture business, this week claimed that developing an oyster farm in the bay could significantly reduce the amount of sea lettuce because the shellfish feed on phytoplankton and reduce the nutrients available to the weed.
He now wants permission to lay a series of micro-reefs – specially designed racks that would sit in cages on the sea bed – at an existing scallop farm at Belcroute.
Environment Minister Steve Luce said that he would welcome a formal discussion about the plan, but warned that he has reservations about whether it would work.
Although Mr Legg has said he has struggled to raise interest among States officials, Deputy Luce explained he was prepared to discuss the topic seriously.
However, the Environment Minister, who once co-owned the Jersey Oyster Company, has reservations about granting permission for new concessions, adding that the Island has worked hard to make Grouville Bay the main shellfish-farming site.
‘The subject of accessibility to infrastructure is an issue,’ Deputy Luce said.
‘Where would these shellfish be taken to be processed? Grouville, where permission has been granted for the packing and grading sheds, is surely where all the ungraded shellfish should go. But transporting shellfish on large tractors and trailers through town every day would be an issue.
‘There is no guarantee that this initiative would work. Certainly, research done not far away in French government labs in Dinard shows that shellfish are probably not the answer. The French have spent a lot of time and money trying to solve the sea lettuce problem. They have a much bigger issue on the north Brittany coast than we do.
‘But we haven’t seen any attempts at a massive increase in shellfish production in their worst-hit sea lettuce areas. If this worked then surely they would be doing it.’
However, Deputy Luce said that he did not want to rule out shellfish farms in St Aubin’s Bay. He added: ‘We would need some fairly categoric proof that we were doing the right thing before granting concessions across St Aubin’s Bay.
‘We would also need some guarantees relating to the amount of shellfish to be farmed. It’s not a few thousand that is going to make a difference.’
