THE Thames Estuary is famous for its oysters and shellfish, so it has not been unusual to see countless fishermen flocking to south Essex looking for their next catch through the decades.

Essex’s native oyster population has sadly declined rapidly due to historic over-harvesting, disease, competition from invasive species and predators over the years.

That has made fishing for the delicacies hard to come by in more recent times.

We have dipped into the Echo archive to rediscover these eye-catching snaps of fishermen hard at work seeking oysters and cockles off the Southend and Leigh coast during the 1970s and 1980s.

Echo:

Fisherman - Albert Emery often looked for oysters along the south Essex coastline and overlooks the Thames Estuary from Leigh

Oyster festivals were held along the coastline and various councillors headed to the seafront to sample some of the fresh catches.

Scroll down to see more retro photographs of oyster and cockle fishing off the south Essex coast.

Echo:

Having a taste - Civic leaders tuck into some shellfish in 1983

Echo:

Marine man - Hurbert Keeble opens up an oyster back in November 1970

Echo:

Stash - a fisherman who has enjoyed a productive day off the south Essex coast gleefully cleans mussels in a machine

Echo:

Showing off - Brian Higgs and Charles Stag returned to the shoreline with crates full of oysters in 1977

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Echo:

Hoist - Chris Childs goes oyster dredging in 1985

Echo:

Hard at work - oyster fishing was particularly popular off the coast of Southend in the 1970s and 1980s

Echo:

Trawling - Council representatives get involved in the fishing spirit and sample the catches in 1986

Echo:

Tucking in - a group of oyster lovers tuck in to the seafood delicacy in September 1985