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Mussel (Mytilus edulis)

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Common name - Mussel
Scientific name - Mytilus edulis
Rating
  • 1
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  • 5
Farmed
Production method Bottom culture
Production country West Europe, Atlantic Coast
Production area All
Summary
Shellfish farming is an extensive, low impact method of aquaculture and high quality water standards are required for cultivation of shellfish for human consumption. Bottom culture can have some negative impacts on ecosystems, due to the dredging of mussel beds for spat collection.
Biology
Common mussels are bivalve molluscs, found on shores throughout the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and the North and Baltic Seas. They normally live in large aggregations, attaching themselves to rocks and each other with sticky threads, known as byssus .Size and shape vary widely, but the colour is always deep bluish purple. Shell up to 10cm but usually much smaller. Mussels mature when one year old and may live 10-15 years or more.
Production Information
Mussels may be grown by bottom culture, rope hanging or floating culture. In bottom culture, small or seed mussels are dredged from the seabed and then re-laid to grow-out beds. Mussels grown by bottom culture are generally harvested by dredging, depending on the size of the farm.
Alternatives
(Based on method of production, fish type, and consumer rating: only fish rated 3 and below are included.)
Read what the consumer pages of the Good Fish Guide say about this species.