72 



Eegulations and Methods of Fishing. 



The Bye-laws of the Lancashire Sea-Fisheries Com- 

 mittee are directed towards the regulation of the cockle 

 fishery in accordance with local conditions in various parts 

 of the district, and the methods of fishing vary, to some 

 extent, in the three principal divisions. Over all the 

 district the " craam " may be used, but it is employed 

 chiefly in the Duddon and Morecambe Bay areas. The 

 "craam" is a metal three-pronged fork, fixed on a handle 

 of about 18 inches in length. The prongs are about six 

 inches in length, and about two inches of the extremity of 

 each is bent downwards at a right angle. The cockier 

 pushes a fish basket along the sand in his left hand, and 

 scoops the cockles, one by one, out of the sand into the 

 basket, with the " craam." Often the tuft of Algge on the 

 shell of the cockle indicates its presence in the sand, but, as 

 a rule, they are so abundant that the "craam" plunged 

 into the sand brings up a cockle. Over the whole district 

 the "Jumbo" may be used, but only from November to 

 February, both months included. Fishing by means of 

 the " Jumbo " is an extension of the method of treading 

 on the sand with heavy boots, in which process the cockles 

 are forced up to the surface and are then gathered. The 

 " Jumbo is a wooden frame, with a base consisting of a 

 board, the maximum dimensions of which are 4|- feet in 

 length, 14 inches in width, and 1 inch thick. The frame, 

 with this base-board resting on the sand, is rocked back- 

 wards and forwards, with the result that the cockles are 

 forced out of the sand on to the surface, and are then 

 gathered up. 



Special regulations apply to the central and southern 

 parts of the district : in the part of the Central Division 

 lying between Formby Point and the Gut Channel in the 

 Kibble, the use of a spade is permitted. The spade is 



