It is known that a strong trade in oysters was well
established in Swansea Bay in the Middle Ages and the oyster beds of Mumbles were
considered the most prolific in Britain by 1684, when the first Duke of Beaufort toured
Wales. In later centuries, the owner of this title was to profit considerably from
Swansea's oyster trade - he was to demand rent from the workers of the oyster trade for
maintaining "plantations" of oysters on his waterside. In the 17th Century the
oyster dredging was conducted from small rowing boats, hauled by woman folk. A vessel with
a rig was introduced in the mid 19th Century which was known as a "skiff". The
dredge was made to a local design and attached to the bottom of each of the 180 boats that
were used to gather the oysters off the sea bed in the 1860's.
Each
"skiff" was mastered by a 3-strong crew. Two men hauled the nets in whilst a boy
steered the vessel. At one time six hundred people were employed in the oyster industry.
Forty bagged the oysters (these were mainly women) and ten men carried the bags to the
railway where they could be transported throughout the U.K. Some were shipped
directly by sea to Bristol, England. In 1871, ten million oysters were scraped off the sea
beds of Swansea Bay and Gower, which had a saleable value of £50,000. |
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Oyster Skiffs in Swansea Bay of the 1840's |
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The smaller oysters (less than
five years old) were kept in the plantations upon the beach at Mumbles until they had
grown large enough to market. Oysters were the staple diet of Mumbles folk, they were
cooked in a variety of ways - fried in an omelette, cooked in breadcrumbs or filled a
steak which was then grilled. Many consumed oysters with fish and chips, eaten out of a
paper bag.
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The
Mumbles "skiff" - an oyster trawler in Swansea Bay |
By the late 1870's over
fishing had a devastating effect on the oyster beds and the industry was in sharp decline.
Many people had to find alternative work and after an oyster disease wiped out most of the
beds in the early 1920's, the last skiff to work the beds was retired in 1930. In 1949,
the South Wales Sea Fisheries Committee investigated the possibility of reviving the
industry, but concluded at the time it wouldn't be financially viable to do so.
Now the oysters are being harvested
again in Swansea Bay as new research has revealed the viability of the
oyster beds which are enjoying a new leash of life.
The area of Swansea Bay called
"Mumbles" is sometimes referred to by name as "Oystermouth" and stands
as a reminder of the bay's historic reputation as a premier source of one of the world's
most romantic seafoods. |
