MUSSEL BEDS OF SCOTLAND 37 



from the year 1878 to 1888 no crop was pro- 

 duced as great as that recorded for- 1893 in the 

 Fishery Board's Report — the 1886 crop, the last 

 mentioned, being 3906 tons, i.e. 889 tons less. 



In explanation of this, however, it has been said 

 that a few years ago a serious decline set in, so 

 that the merchants and fishermen had to seek 

 'seed' from West Highland lochs and from Ireland. 

 The result, coupled with more careful attention, 

 appears to be the figure of 1893, — 95,910 cwts. 



Ballantrae Beds. — The chief bed in this 

 locality is Creetown Scalp. In 1893, mussels 

 were fished mostly by Morecambe Bay men. 

 2380 cwts. were landed, and mostly sent to 

 England.^ 



Irvine River Bed. — This bed was looked 

 upon, in former years, as one of the most valuable in 

 the south-west of Scotland. It has unfortunately 

 been all but exterminated by the pollution of the 

 river by the chemical and other works of the 

 town of Irvine. The bed is about a mile long, 

 is composed of hard sand and muddy gravel, and 

 is admirably adapted for growing mussels. It is 

 largely uncovered at low water. The ownership 



1 Twelfth Annual Report of the Fishery Board for Scotland, 

 1894, Part I. p. 202. 



