Musseling in on Morecambe

[WillowTheWhisp]

On the car park behind the Battery you may have noticed a recent hive of activity with vehicles and busy fishermen. They are fishing for seed mussels to transport elsewhere to start or replenish mussel beds. Most of these people have legally purchased licences for this activity but apparently there has been some illegal mussel fishing by people without licences.

I presume that some sort of control is maintained over how many people are permitted to remove the young mussels so that stocks are not too depleted. If people illegally fish for these small shellfish with disregard for the future then there could be a real possibility that we might end up mussel-less!

I've noticed that there seem to be fewer mussels in the bay these days than there were when I was a child when we used to use them as bait for catching crabs off the stone jetty. A few weeks ago however, Coachman and I did remark on how much life there seems to be out there on the sands/mud.

[mazzerati]

it will be the usual hoards of out of towners stripping our shellfish stocks for vast profits i hope they get stuck in the mud.

[WillowTheWhisp]

Maybe they don't know they are supposed to have a licence - and maybe they don't realise how dangerous it can be.

I spoke to an American couple a few years back who were thinking of just embarking out alone on a trek across the bay. I pointed out to them that it wasn't solid and there were treacherous quicksands. They just laughed as if they thought I was having them on until I pointed out the sign which said "Danger! Quicksand!"

[tinytimsthings]

Dont you remember a few years ago where there was a major incident with the cocklers?
There were a few deaths. The Masters sent the forgeiners in to cockle and they got caught in the sinking sands cos they didnt know the dangers.
It was stopped for a year or two.
Our local M.P. Geraldine Smith got a law past (or something like that) to stop the masters sending the forgeiners out.
I cant remember the exact details but they also had to have the coast guard out looking for the missing (and there were alot:().


Or was that the people who were getting muscles? I cant remember.

[tinytimsthings]

Just ignore my post. I dont know what Im talking about

[WillowTheWhisp]

Those were cocklers who were obviously unaware of ,and uninformed about, the dangers of being out on the sands. Locals are all too aware of how dangerous the bay can be but it looks so safe and can lull people into a false sense of security between tides.

[trevnhil]

I know the thread title is Musseling.... but it now includes Cockling.

Here is another picture from Geograph.org.uk copyrighted by Ian Taylor, but it can be used on this forum.

It is a picture painted on a gable end in Morecambe, depicting Victorian Cockle Pickers.



Regards. Trev..