Fishing for ormers? Remember the strict rules

This most sought-after of shellfish – commonly referred to by TV chefs as the abalone – is a traditional local delicacy but a challenge to catch as it inhabits the extreme regions of Jersey’s inter-tidal zone and can only be fished on very low tides.

Unfortunately for enthusiasts the season opens a day after the predicted lowest tide of the year on 29 September.

In California they are called abalone, in New Zealand paua, in South Africa perlemoen and in Japan awabi.

Ormers, as they are known in Jersey, are much sought after locally and considered one of the finest culinary treats our seas have to offer.

They have tough flesh and a greenish-black mantle but prised out of their shells, scrubbed, trimmed, beaten with a steak mallet, fried with flour and onions and then casseroled for three or four hours in a slow oven, they can be delicious.

More like meat than fish they tend to be accompanied by a gravy and crusty fresh bread and white wine.

Today, Fisheries and Marine Resources, which polices the Island’s fishing grounds, are asking Islanders to resist the temptation to gather ormers a day early and to only take those measuring at least 9cm across the shell’s widest part.

Senior fisheries officer Dave Yettram said: ‘The reasons for minimum sizes and fishing regulations are to protect the Island’s stocks. While low-water fishing is a great activity for people they should respect it for everyone else.’

Although there is no limit on the size of a catch the recommended daily limit is 12 and they can only be fished on specified dates between October and April. Diving for them is prohibited.

In addition to ormers, crabs, lobsters, clams, praires and razor fish are also popular with recreational low-water fishermen.

The age-old rule of thumb for low water fishing is to do it when there is an ‘R’ in the month, as these species breed in warmer months.

All of these species are subject to minimum size catches – to ensure they reach the required age to reproduce in greater numbers to keep fisheries well stocked – which are explained in a leaflet produced by Fisheries and Marine Resources and available on the States website.

Photographers and journalists visited the Island to film an ormering expedition in 1951

Mr Yettram said taking a lobster just two millimetres under the minimum size of 8.7 cm down the head could have a serious affect on breeding.

‘When people give the excuse that their catch is only a millimetre or two under size, those couple of millimetres make a huge difference for the stocks in terms of the amount of eggs released and for the reproduction of the lobster. We must give them a chance to breed,’ he said.

The size limits also include: 10 cm for razor fish, 14 cm along the width of a chancre crab shell and 12 cms down the body of a spider crab.

As low-water fishing involves turning over a great many rocks Mr Yettram said that they should be turned back over to protect the habitats of marine life and sea plants.

And although some people may regard the regulations as onerous Mr Yettram says they are there for good reason.

‘We just want to get the message out that it all about being responsible and respecting the environment,’ he said.

Mr Le Masurier shows off his basket of ormers gathered from the gullies behind Elizabeth Castle in February 1952

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