(85.6%) had values between 20 and 230 E. coli 100 g1 (Class A
areas), 300 (13.1%) had values between 230 and 4600 E. coli 100 g1
(Class B areas) and 20 (0.9%) had values > 4600 E. coli 100 g1 (Class
C areas). The highest detected number was 1.8 104 E. coli 100 g1,
found in one sample of scallops.
Of the blue mussel samples (n ¼ 2055), 1776 (86.4%) had a
number of E. coli corresponding to a Class A area, 264 (12.9%) to a
Class B area and 15 (0.7%) to a Class C area. I total 21 localities for
blue mussels had only A samples during the sampling period
covered in this study. One or more samples from 80 localities had
E. coli numbers corresponding to Class B. Of these, 33 localities had
Class B samples on three or more occasions. Samples corresponding
to Class C where originating from 12 localities. The two localities
having the highest number of B and C samples, showed a combined
(B þ C) percentage of 42 and 27, respectively.
A total of 1870 (98.3%) of the 1902 samples examined for
enterococci had counts < 100 CFU g1 (i.e. not detected) 27 samples
(1.4%) had counts of 100 CFU g1, and five samples (0.3%) had
counts above 100 CFU g1. The highest detected count of enterococci
was 300 CFU g1, found in a sample of blue mussels.
Of the 352 samples examined for Salmonella, only one (0.3%