Search results

This report describes the development of an improved cockle dredging system for the small (about 12 metres) vessels in the UK fleet carried out under MAFF R&D Commission 1988/89, Project Code IAG16. The major change was to use a solids handling pump for pumping water and cockles from the dredge head as opposed to the former method of a water jet pump incorporated within the dredge, which was the principle of the WFA cockle dredge developed in the 1960’s. Four different solids pumps were shore tested and three found to give satisfactory performance running at a restricted speed. The dredge head design was altered to resemble a smaller version of the standard Dutch suction dredge which has incorporated the solids pump principle for some years. The Dutch dredgers, however, are much larger than those in the UK and for this reason it was not possible to transfer the technology from one fishery to the other. Two separate shipboard installations were completed at Kings Lynn and subsequent trials in the Wash were most successful. This report has been produced from a scanned original and may therefore contain some formatting and other inaccuracies. In cases where this affects the technical content, a paper copy of the original report can still be obtained from Seafish.