Netherlands suspended culture mussel

MSC status

Certified as sustainable in July 2011.

Summary

Species: Blue shell mussel (Mytilus edulis)
Location:  The mussel fishery is located in the Zeeuwse delta in the North Sea, FAO region 27.
Fishing methods:  Catch and grow, fishing by suspended substrate.
Number of fisheries: 1

More about mussel

The blue mussel is a sessile bivalve. It lives attached to a substratum of shells, shell fragments or pebbles by its byssus threads. Mussels may form banks on soft bottom substrates by attaching to shells or shell fragments and by forming attachment to other mussels. Blue mussels occur predominantly in estuaries which are usually characterized by large variation in turbidity, salinity and hydrodynamics.

More about the fishing methods

Suspended mussel culture started in 1987 when relatively sheltered areas became available in several
abandoned (construction) ports from the Delta project. Seven companies have been involved in the suspended mussel culture in the period from 1987 to 2002. These companies collect seed on ropes or netting. The mussel seed is harvested by stripping the collector lines bare. The seed mussels are “resocked” and fed into net tubes (mussel socks). The mussel socks are hung along a long line where they stay and grow until they reach harvest size. The seed mussels in the sock put out byssal threads attaching themselves to the sock and one another and the eventually grow through the mesh of the sock and appear to be a solid column of mussels once fully grown.

Fishery tonnage

Landing tonnage 1,500 tonnes (2010/11).

Commercial market

Catch is sold on Dutch and Belgium markets through retail and restaurants.

Actual eligibility date

28th July 2011