The Fowey Estuary Voluntary Marine Conservation Area

The Fowey Estuary VMCA was conceived in 1997 by the Fowey Estuary Partnership, and includes many of the important habitats in the upper reaches of the estuary. The areas of saltmarsh at Shirehall moor, Lostwithiel are a haven for birds, small mammals and specialist salt-tolerant plants. The mudflats and sandbanks of the creeks provide a valuable source of food for wading birds, and the rocky shores and subtidal eelgrass beds of the lower harbour are home to a wide variety of species.

Like the Helford River, the Fowey Estuary is a beautiful and unspoilt area with a diverse landscape and wildlife, and an intriguing local heritage. These features along with the working port give Fowey its special character and fascination for locals and visitors alike.

Located in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), the estuary’s varied habitats have a high ecological value, this is recognised by the Fowey Harbour Commissioners and every effort is made to safeguard these assets whilst maintaining a commercially viable port.

Fowey Harbour caters for large numbers of commercial ships which export about 1 million tonnes of china clay from the port each year; there are also other commercial activities such as shellfish farming. There are approximately 1500 resident moorings and over 7000 craft visit the harbour each year. The estuary management process seeks to balance these demands to achieve sustainable use.

The Fowey Estuary Management Plan is a non-statutory document formulated by the Estuary Partnership with the aim to ‘stimulate an appropriate balance between competing demands placed on the Fowey Estuary, through shared information, co-operation and action’. The plan can be viewed in full on the Estuary Partnership’s website at www.foweyestuary.org.uk

The Fowey Harbour Commissioners are the lead body of the Estuary Partnership which brings together an advisory group representing a number of regulatory bodies, non-governmental organisations and interested parties and offers a basis for voluntary co-operation. The Harbour Commissioners support the group through the provision of my time as project officer. The Fowey Harbour Commissioner’s involvement in other environmental initiatives recognises their commitment to the environmental management of the harbour.

This includes involvement in the EU-funded Cycleau project which ended in December 2006; the main focus of the project in the Fowey Estuary was to study the movement of sediment. This information is of interest to the Harbour Commissioners when planning their dredging regime to ensure this activity is carried out as efficiently and effectively as possible to minimise environmental impacts.

The Port of Fowey has also achieved the internationally recognised Blue Flag Award for 2007, this being the fifth year running. This year there are only 5 marinas in England and N. Ireland to achieve the award, and Fowey is the only commercially working port.

Further information about these and other projects can be found through the Fowey Harbour Commissioner’s website at www.foweyharbour.co.uk

Come up and discover the delights of the Fowey Estuary, if you want to get involved in some local events the ‘Friends of the Fowey Estuary’ organise a full events programme from walks to talks, river trips to fish and chips! For further information, view their website at www.friendsofthefoweyestuary.org.uk

We look forward to seeing you in the future.

Claire Hoddinott
Environment Officer
Fowey Harbour Commissioners
www.foweyharbour.co.uk