“From the Sea to your Plate”

Our fresh blue mussels are grown in PEI and Nova Scotia and good farming practices have created a consistent quality product, available fresh year round. We are Canada’s top producers and exporter of fresh blue mussels. We harvest about 50,000,000 pounds of mussels annually which are sold in all US states and Canadian provinces and demand for this affordable, sustainable seafood is growing.

Here is a more detailed description of the stages our growers use in raising our mussels.

In the spring when the water temperature reaches around 15 degrees centigrade, our mussels spawn which means they release their eggs and sperm. There is a swimming stage called mussel larva and at just the right time the mussel farmer puts out seed collectors, usually frayed pieces of rope or strips of plastic mesh attached to a long line.

The collector serves as a settlement surface for the billions of mussel larva swimming in the water.

After they attach they form a hard shell and are called spat. Once spat is around one inch long (usually around the first of October) they are hand stripped from the ropes and taken ashore.

 

The mussel seed are then declumped and graded into uniform size classes before being placed into plastic mesh sleeves/tubes called socks. Within hours the mussel socks are taken back out to the farm and hand tied onto the long lines.

Follow along with Chef Michael Smith in this Video on Mussel Seed:
http://youtu.be/HJ4YQpapPVw

The spring and summer of the following year the farmer will continue to add flotation to the long lines as the mussels continue to grow. Unlike some shellfish, there is no one season in which mussels are harvested. They remain flavourful and available year round. The size of the meat will vary depending on the time of year.

Mussel’s growth is also dependent on the availability of food; if food is scarce the mussels will begin to slow their growth. Their diet is based entirely on what is found in the water, phytoplankton, this means that they are not dependent on the farmer, keeping them 100% natural.

The most important factor to successful mussel farming is clean clear waters. To ensure that this happens farmers place their ropes in areas where the waters are pristine. The Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program oversees the regular testing of coastal waters to ensure that the waters are clean and the mussels are free from toxins.

Mussels are a naturally occurring shellfish in the waters where we farm. Everything that a mussel requires to survive and grow is supplied by the nutrients in the water column. However, to ensure access to ample quantities of food and to protect the mussels from predators, mussel farmers must continually care for their crop. As the crop grows and the mussel socks gain weight the mussel farmer is busy adding floatation to the long lines.

Mussel farmers must also regularly inspect and clean the socks to ensure the mussels can access the food in the water column and that predators like crabs and starfish are not eating the mussels.

 
Mussel Harvesting:
After 18 to 24 months the mussels reach a marketable size of 55-60 mm. At this point harvest-ready long lines can contain upwards of 2 tonnes of mussels each.

 

 In winter, bays and estuaries are covered in ice (upwards of 125 cm or 4 ft). As a result, mussel long lines are sunk approximately 2-3 ft below the surface.Lines destined for harvest over the winter are marked with ice-poles or GPS markers. Specialized techniques are used to harvest mussels through the ice. Growers use chain saws and special blades to cut through the ice. The line is hauled up through the ice by a portable winch. Mussels are cut by hand from the long line and stored in insulated plastic boxes that protect the product from wind-chill.

During the rest of the year, mussels are harvested in open water by boats equipped with a boom and a hydraulic winch. The backline is partially lifted out of the water and the socks are cut from the backline and hauled into the boat. To minimize losses, the boat may be equipped with an aluminum chute to guide the long line and socks onboard.
 
There is no quota placed on mussel farming which ensures that the supply stays constant. Mussels are harvested to order and shipped when orders are received.

Follow along with Chef Michael Smith in this Video on Mussel Harvesting:

Once harvested, mussels are transported to nearby federally inspected and registered processing plants where they are stripped from the sock, de-clumped, washed, graded and have their beards (byssal threads used) removed.

The mussels are inspected and any broken or substandard shells are removed prior to being packed for shipping to markets all over North America.

Follow along with Chef Michael Smith in this Video on Mussel Processing:
http://youtu.be/D9XU8N18tzw