83 

 MUSSEL CULTURE. 



By ALEXANDER MEEK AND B. STORROW. 



In the report for last year it was stated that the mussel culture 

 experiment had been continued, and that more mussels from Blyth 

 and Fenham Flats had been transplanted on the Oyster Scaup, 

 and that in order to see if spatting could be encouraged two bouchots 

 had been erected, one on the Oyster Scaup, the other on Fenham 

 Flats. 



The transplanted mussels have grown as well as in previous 

 years. The beds are very much thuiner than m June of last year, 

 and the Blyth mussels, now of a size large enough to form a fair 

 bait, have disappeared more rapidly than those transplanted from 

 Fenham Flats. 



The fences although erected strongly as described have not 

 been able to withstand the sea. That on the Oyster Scaup did 

 not stand longer than June, 1913, and although what was left of 

 it was again fastened as securely as possible it has now disappeared. 

 The fence on Fenham Flats became covered with a great deal of 

 weed. It was found standing in December of last year, now it is 

 down. 



The beds of young mussels on the Oyster Scaup referred to in 

 the last report are growing well, and if able to remain will form a 

 valuable source of bait for the fishermen of the immediate neigh- 

 bourhood. 



The fishermen of Holy Island in a few cases form small scaups 

 by transplantation, and these because they are looked after do well. 

 They serve to show that the area responds to transplantation, as 

 our experiments have done, and that no hesitation need be exhibited 

 in declaring that an opportunity for forming a mussel farm is offered, 

 which has every prospect of being successful. The ground 

 would require some degree of preparation, and there are plenty of 

 mussels which could be transplanted in the immediate neighbour- 

 hood. 



At Easter we enquired as to the distribution of mussels generally 

 on the coast. In addition to the regions which are favourable to 

 mussels, there are places all along the coast where spat lodges, but 



