24 



Then mussels, periwinkles, and oysters are also landed. 

 Oysters, it is true, are mostly "landed" in the sense that 

 they are imported from America, and re-laid at Fleetwood and 

 in the Menai Straits, but they are presumably included in the 

 total value for shell-fish landed at our ports, which is given in 

 the Board of Trade figures.* Mussels must have a very con- 

 siderable value, for in some years over £2,000 worth are landed 

 at Morecambe alone. Periwinkles may not amount to much, 

 but they swell the total. Now, even considering the value of 

 shrimps and cockles alone, this appears to be more than twice 

 as great as the value given by the Board of Trade for total 

 shell-fish — a discrepancy which it is difficult to explain. 



A consideration of the following facts elicited by the late 

 Mr. E. A. Dawson (I quote from an unpublished letter written 

 by him), may however suggest the explanation. In 1902 there 

 were 344 persons gathering shell-fish in the Lancashire Dis- 

 trict at nine places, the catches made by whom did not appear 

 to have been included in the returns sent to the Board of 

 Trade. The details are : — 



Duddon Estuary ... 

 Barrow District 

 Kent's Bank 

 Grange 



Arnside to Hest Bank 

 Lune Estuary 

 Blackpool to St. Annes 

 Banks District 



Mersey Estuary (Returns for cockles are 

 given only for Hoy lake and Liverpool) . . . 



30 per 



sons. 



30 



9 



> 



2 



, 



30 



, 



32 



, 



40 



> 



90 



, 



81 



Total ... 



... 344 



* The value of American oysters taken from the beds at Fleetwood 

 for 1898 was £3,576. This amount should be deducted from the Board of 

 Trade value for total shellfish in order to arrive at an estimate of the 

 local shell-fish.— J.T.J. 



