"At the moment we have gangmasters who make a lot of money from it. Last July it was £500 a tonne, and one guy made £30,000 in the two days the bed was opened just moving the cockles a quarter of a mile across the bay.
"At the same time the enforcement operation involving all the different agencies probably cost a quarter of a million pounds." It is estimated that the fishery can support a total annual catch of between 500 and 2,500 tonnes, generating an average gross income of between £250,000 and £1,250,000 a year and supporting up to 50 licensees.
Alan Winstone, the Agency's Environment Manager for the North Wales coast, said a regulating order was long overdue for the Dee estuary.
He said: "A properly managed fishery where the beneficiaries fund the regulatory costs and cockling is carried out by professionals with full consideration for safety and the environment is essential."
Consultation documents are available from DEFRA or Welsh Assembly Government and will be on the Agency's website at www.environmentagency.gov.uk/yourenv/consultations/1251972/
Anyone who sees pollution, illegal tipping of waste, poaching, fish in distress or danger to the natural environment can contact the Agency's emergency hotline on 0800 80 70 60.
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