Further shellfish testing following 'devastating' ban
Water testing this spring forced the closure of the Fal mussel fishery and a high reading for E.coli in July left the oyster fishery under threat. A shellfish flesh sample from Mylor, near Falmouth, in July contained levels of E.coli bacteria 300 times more than that permitted by the Food Standards Agency, BBC News reports.
Some mussel harvesting has restarted and the oyster fleet is working again.
As yet the cause remains unexplained.
One proposal is to temporarily halt shellfish harvesting when heavy rainfall is predicted.
According to BBC News, the Port Health Authority - which is responsible for the testing regime - said at the time it hoped it was a one-off.
The authority said it had now increased tests in risky areas. It also hopes to use rainfall predictions to temporarily halt production when there is the greatest risk from run-off and sewage overflow.
