One of Poland’s most successful regions for snail harvesting has banned the practice this year after a decline in numbers.
The Regional Director for the Protection of the Environment in Warmia-Masuria, north east Poland, has found that besides a general decline in numbers, there is an alarming lack of mature specimens.
“This is a difficult decision,” Stanislaw Dabrowski declared in an official statement. “I am well aware of the fact that the gathering of snails is an important source of income for many people in our province,” he added.
Every year, firms hire part-time workers in April and May to gather the wild Burgundy snails (Helix Pomatia) which are common to north east Poland. About 90 percent of the snails gathered are exported to France, Spain and other snail-eating countries. Market analysts note that in previous years, effective gatherers were able to amass about 1000 each daily.
However, Dabrowski has argued that there is a serious risk that if not enough mature specimens are allowed to breed, the population could become stunted, with smaller specimens coming to the fore. Besides gathering in the wild, the success of Polish snail exports has led several entrepreneurs to launch snail farms where the molluscs are bred for sale.
Source: Polskie Radio - nh - PAP - bip.olsztyn.rdos.gov.pl
http://www.thenews.pl/1/12/Artykul/165527,Snail-exports-jeopardized-by-harvest-ban