Ormering reminder as tides are right for picking

Thursday 18 January 2018

Guernsey's Sea Fisheries has moved to clarify the rules regarding ormering off the island's coastline.

Some concerns had been raised by people who regularly go ormering, who asked if the regulations permit the activity for 24 hours on selected dates or only during daylight hours.

In a statement, a spokesperson for Guernsey Sea Fisheries said the delicacies can be harvested throughout the day, between 00:01 and 23:59 and not only during daylight hours as some people had thought.

The spokesperson said: "The Fishing Ordinance 1997 which regulates ormering states that ormers can only be taken between 1 January and 30 April on “permitted days”, which are the day of each new moon and of each full moon and the following two days. 

"During this period it is lawful to take ormers at any time between midnight 00.00 on the first day and 23.59 on the third or last day. Traditionally, due to the nature of the activity, ormering has taken place during daylight hours and when the tide is out (not least because it is illegal to dive for ormers)".

Pictured: File image of an ormer, not harvested in Guernsey 

Sea Fisheries also wants to remind those going ormering that "it is only legal to be in possession of the delicacy, or to buy and sell them on 1 and 2 May or on the third or fourth day after the day of each new moon and of each full moon, provided that it can be proved that the ormer was caught on a permitted day".  

The full legislation related to ormering can be found here.  

The next ormering tides are: 

Top picture: File image of an ormer, not harvested in Guernsey