SEA-FISHERIES LABORATORY, 



357 



great importance. This will be seen from the following 

 statement supplied by Dr. Jenkins : — 



Return of mussels landed at Conway during part 

 of the year 1906: — 



Month. 



Amount. 



Value. 





Cwts. 



£ 



January 



2520 



302J 



February 



1948 



234 



March 



1267 



137 



April to August ... 



— 



— (close season) 



September 



3800 



570 



October ... 



5820 



730 



A number of bags of mussels were lying on the beach, 

 packed for export, on the occasion of our first visit. These 

 were consigned to Manchester, Leeds, Huddersfield, 

 Halifax and Nottingham. 



The price obtained by the fishermen varies from 2s. to 

 4s. per cwt. Men and women are employed. The men 

 usually fish from open boats by means of the long rake. 

 The women gather the mussels from the scars by hand. I 

 am informed that many of the women are employed by a 

 local fisherman, who pays them Is. 3d. per bag, for the 

 mussels obtained. 



A considerable revenue is thus yielded by the mussel 

 beds in the Conway river, and it is not unreasonable to 

 suggest that some public expenditure on an improved 

 system of sewage disposal is the duty of the local authority 

 and would be justified in its results. 



It has been suggested to me by Mr. Delamotte that 

 a portion of the river might be closed by co-operation with 

 the Harbour Authority. It is true that the contamination 

 is pretty general and affects not only the mussels in the 

 river near the Bridge, but also those in the Channel below 

 Deganwy. But the prohibition of taking mussels from the 

 former locality would at least exclude those shellfish 



