9Y 
Report by Mr. R. A. Dawson, Superintendent Lancashire 
and Western Sea Fisheries, on the Mussel Beds 
of the District with reeard to danger of pollution 
by sewage. 
“At the last meeting of the General Purposes 
Committee, held on the 14th August, | was instructed to 
lay before the Committee, at the next meeting, a list of 
‘Mussel beds, in my opinion, contaminated by sewage. 
Together with Dr. Sergeant (the Medical Officer of Health 
for the County of Lancaster), Mr. Halliwell (Chief 
Inspector of the Ribble Watershed), Mr. Scott (the 
Resident Scientist at Piel), and others, I visited and 
inspected the sewage outfalls in Barrow Channel, Ulverston, 
Morecambe, and Heysham, and the Mussel Beds in the 
Lune. I have also inspected the different sewer outlets im 
other parts of the District likely to cause contamination 
to Mussels. 
The sewage from Barrow and Dalton is discharged into 
Barrow Channel in great volume, and has the appearance 
of being untreated. This sewage joins the stream in the 
Barrow Channel, and together they flow over the different 
erounds where Mussels ave found. On the day we were 
there, the sewage was being discharged as late as low water. 
I may remark that, although some Mussels are taken 
from here for human food, the bulk are only used for bait: 
Periwinkles, however, are taken in large numbers, and 
London seems to be the chief Market for them. The sewage 
from Piel also flows into the Barrow Channel. 
At Ulverston, although some treatment is attempted, 
the effluent appeared to me to be very dirty. This 
discharge joins the main stream at the west end of the 
Slag Bank, about a mile above a Mussel sear; they flow on 
together round the edge of the Mussel scar at low water 
