82 



will have been increased by at least £800 at the end of 

 the fishino' season in 1900, a result entirely due lo the 

 grant of £75 from the Sea Fisheries Committee to enable 

 tlie fishermen to thin the beds. 



We find that the increase of length varies according 

 to the time that the mussels are left untouched. A 

 number of those deposited in the " llinghole " in 1904 

 have recently been recovered, and the addition to the 

 orisfinal shell in some cases is well over an inch. The 

 weight has also increased, 100 weighing ten pounds or 

 about 1,400 to the bag. 



The results in the Wyre have been quite as good as 

 at Morecambe and from the samples that have been 

 examined we conclude that the conditions there are in 

 every way favourable for transplanting. 



The transplanting in the Lune also has been a 

 success. Mr. Richard Gardner, of Sunderland Point, 

 has supplied us with much valuable information regarding 

 the effect of the work at Overton. All the mussels 

 transplanted in 1905 were the ordinary '* blue nebs." 

 When these mussels were fished again at the' beginning 

 of the season it was found that the old shells had taken 

 on a brown skin which almost obscured the old blue 

 appearance. From the opening of the fishing season in 

 1905 to the middle of January, 1900, about 0,000 bags had 

 been sent away from Overton- a weight of 375 tons. Mr. 

 Gardner estimates that about two-thirds of these mussels 

 were transplanted ones. The mussel fishermen at 

 Overton recognise the value of the work and make the 

 improvement go as far as possible. Each bag of mussels 

 sent away contains a small proportion of untrausplanted 

 mussels, which by themselves were of no value whatever, 

 and now the average price received by the fishermen is 

 ■U. per bag. Further, unless transplanting had been 



