Our website uses cookies so that we can provide a better service. Continue to use the site as normal if you're happy with this, or find out how to manage cookies.

You are here

Shellfish Quality

The Shellfish Hygiene Directive, although not a Directive directly protecting water quality, stipulates the level of treatment required depending on numbers of bacteria in the shellfish flesh. This Directive is designed to protect human health. Since shellfish are grown in the natural environment, it is a commonly held view that the concentration of bacteria in the flesh directly relates to the quality of the surrounding water in which they grow. The monitoring undertaken as a consequence of this Directive can therefore be used as an indicator of water quality.

Under the Shellfish Hygiene Directive, standards are set in terms of concentrations of coliform bacteria and salmonella. Shellfish are classed in categories ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ and ‘P’ where ‘A’ is the highest quality and can be collected direct for human consumption. ‘P’ is the poorest quality and shellfish are prohibited from collection. Monitoring for the Shellfish Hygiene Directive is carried out by the local authorities and the data is collated by the Food Standards Agency. The table below lists the designated bivalve mollusc production areas in the study area and their individual classifications.

Bed Name	Species	Common Name	Class
Thames Estuary
Nid and NE Maplin Sands	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	A
Foulness Sands	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	A
Leigh Foreshore	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	C
Leigh Foreshore	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	C
Chapman Sands	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	C
Chapman Sands	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	C
Southend Flats	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	C
Southend Flats	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
West of Southend Pier	C.gigas	Pacific Oyster	B
Phoenix	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
East Shoebury Beacon	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
Scrapsgate	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
Yantlet Flats	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Grain	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Sheppey	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
North Kent Coast
The South Oaze	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Whitstable	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Whitstable Bay	C.gigas	Pacific oyster	B
Hern Hampton	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Beltinge Bay	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Herne	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Reculver	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Swalecliffe	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Pollard	C.gigas	Pacific oyster	B
Pollard	T.philippinaru	Manila Clam	B
Pollard	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
East Last Bank	Ostrea edulis	Native or flat oyster	B
East Last Bank	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Clite Hole	Ostrea edulis	Native or flat oyster	B
Clite Hole	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
The Street	Ostrea edulis	Native or flat oyster	B
The Street	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Kentish Flats	Ostrea edulis	Native or flat oyster	A
Kentish Flats	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
North of Hook	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
South of Hook	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
Margate Sands	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B
Minnis Bay	Mytilus edulis	Blue Mussel	B
Minnis Bay	Cardium edule	Common edible cockle	B

Back to Water Quality