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APPENDIX. 



The Economy of the Cockle with special reference 

 to the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries District. 



The cockle derives its economic importance from the fact 

 that it is a suitable article of food, and that it is sufficiently 

 abundant, at the same time, on large portions of the coast 

 to give employment to a large number of people in gather- 

 ing it for the markets. To a less extent, it is economically 

 valuable in that it provides an abundant supply of food to 

 some of the more important flat fishes. 



The Lancashire Cockle Fisheries. 



A glance at the map of the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries 

 District, reproduced in this Keport, and which has been 

 reduced from Mr. R. A. Dawson's sketch chart of the dis- 

 trict, will show the great area covered by the cockle beds. 

 Owing to the nature of the coast, where almost every- 

 where there are great stretches of clean sandy shore swept 

 twice a day by the tides, there are very few places where 

 the cockle may not be found. It is not, however, the 

 mere occurrence of the animal that is considered in the 

 chart, but its occurrence in sufficient quantities to render 

 an area a sufficiently profitable fishing ground. The red 

 coloured areas on the chart indicate approximately the 

 position and extent of such profitable fishing grounds, and 

 it is evident that these are numerous enough and of suf- 

 ficient extent to render Cardium an animal of some 

 importance to Lancashire fishermen, and to justify the 

 regulation, to some extent, of the fishery. 



