36 MUSSEL CULTURE 



never been protected, and has been much fished, 

 still retains a considerable quantity of mussels. 

 This bed is an extensive one, and capable of 

 great development. East Coast fishing-boats, 

 coming or going from or to the West Coast, or the 

 Irish fishing, by the Forth and Clyde Canal, have 

 for many years been in the habit of lifting cargoes 

 of mussels from Garelochhead, but, in common 

 with other beds of the Clyde estuary, the mussels 

 have also been extensively gathered by women 

 from Glasgow, who sell them for food in the 

 poorer quarters of that city. 



Greenock Beds. — These are the most ex- 

 tensive beds in the country, the return for 1893 

 showing a landing of 95,910 cwts., valued at 

 -^3352. They are claimed by the Corporation 

 of Greenock, under a clause in a charter of 

 George ill,, but are freely fished by all dredgers 

 of the neighbourhood. It was stated before the 

 Mussel Commission (1889) 'that during the last 

 fifty years, over 100,000 tons of mussels have 

 been taken from the scalps,' half that amount 

 being lifted by means of rakes and dredges from 

 portions of the scalp constantly covered by water. 



From a table submitted by Mr. J. M'Laughlan, 

 mussel merchant of Port-Glasgow, it appears that 



