Anyone know what this is?

Anyone have an idea as to what this little fellow is? Found him in my mothers back garden in June of 2006. I've tried the various books I have but haven't managed to find anything like him and I can honestly say I never saw anything like him before or since! I thought I'd lost the photo until I found it buried in an old folder today

Garnish island in Glengarriff and taken from around Bocarnagh which is a few miles out of Glengarriff village. Garnish is beautiful and years ago when you'd drive into Glengarriff there would be lots of men just trying to get you to go out to the island on their boats. These days, you never see them anymore. The whole village is very different to the way it was 20 years ago.

Years ago, you wouldn't have seen the mussle rafts or lines in this photo, but they are there - lots of them.

Glengarriff is in Bantry Bay and Bantry mussles are exported all over the world