68 



beds that had been depleted from various causes, or 

 establish new beds on suitable ground, either with the 

 mussels removed from their original site or with others 

 taken from areas altogether unfavourable for growth. 



We might point out here that this solution had been 

 advocated for some years in the Annual Heports on the 

 Sea Fisheries Laboratory. Professor Herdman in the 

 first of these Eeports,* referring to the destruction that 

 occurred amongst the mussels in the southern Division, 

 says, " This miserable waste could probably be prevented 

 " by providing fixed objects for the mussels to attach to, 

 " and by taking care of the 3-oung beds when once they 

 " were established, by thinning out from some places and 

 " laying down in others," &c., and again in the general 

 conclusions in the Report upon the methods of oyster and 

 mussel culture in use on the West coast of France'', 

 " Expressed briefly my opinion is that where mussels are 

 " grown successfully on the bed system the best we can 

 *■ do is to farm these beds carefully." Further, in the 

 conclusion on the lieport on the mussels and mussel beds 

 in the ]N^orthern Division, by one of us, J referring to the 

 favourable conditions for the production and rearing of 

 ilie mussels, the following solution was offered. " All 

 " that is necessary is to remove some of the seed mussels 

 " from the beds where they are too crowded to places 

 " where they are few in number or entirely absent. Many 

 '' of the mussels on the various beds under the present 

 " conditions are certain to be lost, through having too 

 " little room to grow, when consequently they either get 

 " choked otf and perish miserably, or become so stunted 



'■'•' Lancashire Sea Fisheries Laboratory Report for 1892, page 39. 

 f Lancashire Sea Fisheries Laboratory Report for 1893. Appen- 

 dix, page 79. 



I Lancashire Sea Fisheries Laboratory Report for 1895, page 80, 



