Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis)

En - Mediterranean mussel, Fr - Moule méditerranéenne, Es - Mejillón mediterráneo

The area of the world with the highest production of Mytilus galloprovincialis is China (see section on production below) but little information is available so the information from Galicia (NW of Spain) has been used to prepare this informative sheet. The earliest evidence of mussel consumption in the Galician Region has been dated in the fourth century B.C., when the natives left large deposits of bivalve mollusc shells including mussels. These deposits have been denominated 'concheiros' and have also been found near to the Roman villages of the first century A.D. In the 16th century, people from Portugal came to the ria of Arosa, in Cambados, to gather mussels, clams, and cockles. Mussels became important in Spain when farmers began culturing them at the beginning of the 20th century. The first mussel culture was practiced in Tarragona and Barcelona (N.E. of Iberian peninsula) in 1901 and 1909, respectively, using poles similar to those used in France. After the first trials, this system was abandoned and use of floating structures began. At this time, the natural populations of mussels in the Galician rias were used mainly as manure on farms and, on a limited scale, as a source of mussel seed to be cultured. There were a few parks where farmers practiced bottom culture of mussels; the mussels were sold along the Mediterranean coast. In 1946, raft culture of mussels was introduced in the Galician region and within a few years production increased sharply.

The early rafts consisted of square wooden frameworks supported by a central float and restored old ships that supported wooden frameworks, from which farmers hung ropes of esparto grass (Stipa tenacissima). Farmers attached mussel seed to the ropes, and when the seed reached commercial size, they collected them by hand or with a special pin wheel. Subsequently, the old ships were replaced by square or rectangular wooden frameworks supporting small houses. Flotation consisted of wooden floats wrapped in wire mesh and coated with concrete. Today, a few old rafts remain, but most of the new ones are constructed of a framework of eucalyptus wood.

Market & Trade

There are two mussel markets in the region: a fresh market before depuration and a processed market. Larger quantities of mussels are marketed fresh, but the canning market has expanded since 1984.

Depuration stations sell their mussels to central markets, from which they are sold to restaurants and consumers. The remaining mussels are sent to markets outside Spain.

The processed market consists of trade in canned mussels, as well as preserved (boiled and preserved in sterilized brine), and frozen products. The cans (about 115 g) are sealed, cooked (sterilized) in a retort, labelled, and packed in shipping cases for worldwide distribution. The marketing of canned mussels more than doubled from 1984 to 1989.

Mussel markets have been changing. At the beginning of mussel farming in Spain national consumption was limited but has now exceeded 100 000 tonnes annually, mainly as fresh mussels. The distribution of mussels was approximately 40 percent for the fresh market (76 percent of these for the local market and 24 percent for export), 50 percent for canning (the quantity of canned mussels consumed in the home market was 89 percent and the remaining 11 percent was exported), and 10 percent for freezing. In the past decade, about 60 percent of mussels have been for the fresh market and 40 percent for canning. The frozen portion has been increasing and is estimated at 15 000 tonnes per year. Exports are mainly to Italy, France, and Germany. France imported 3800 tonnes of mussels from Spain in 2001 and 4608 tonnes in 2002, while Italy imported 1100 tonnes in 2001 and 1400 tonnes in 2002.

Status & Trends

Since 1948 total mussel production in Spain has become the highest of any country in the world, apart from China. It was expected that Spanish production would expand further than it has done but several biological, technological, and socioeconomic factors have affected this prediction. Recently, there has not been a substantial increase in the number of rafts and, while the sizes of rafts and rope size have grown, total production of mussels has not. Thus a production limit is approaching; probably the number of rafts should be controlled. To increase production, suitable new areas must be found.

Information Source

http://www.fao.org/fishery/culturedspecies/Mytilus_galloprovincialis/en