UTILISATION OF MOLLUSC RESOURCES IN N. IRELAND

Mussel beds in N. Ireland contain about 3–400 000 tonnes of molluscs of which 6–7% is edible flesh. Most of these resources are not suitable for direct human consumption and attempts are currently being made at Queen's University, to perfect a process to separate mussel shell and flesh aimed at the production of high grade products from a low grade source. This report deals with the likely consequences of large scale harvesting of mussels and offers possible alternatives.