Both oysters and mussels are farmed in the intertidal waters of
the Menai Strait, between Anglesey and mainland Wales. The waters
here are said to be amongst the cleanest in Britain, and have been
designated a Special Area of Conservation. In fact, the waters are
so unadulterated that sea salt harvested here is allowed to carry the
Soil Association's organic certification. It's the constant supply
of fresh food, delivered by the fierce tidal currents that rage
through here twice a day, that give the shellfish collected on the
Strait their unique flavour.
Mussels on the Strait are farmed on these intertidal seabeds for
a variety of reasons, including taste. Mussels cultivated in this
way are known to have more flavour than those grown using
alternative arrangements - and I can certainly assent to that!
Plus, the exposure to the air at low-tide means the mussels
have time to build strong adductor muscles and shells. Basically,
this produces hearty shellfish that can cope with lengthier
stretches out of the water - resulting in fewer occurrences of
shell breakage and a better shelf life.
Not only is the sea around here pure and clean, but your
conscience can be too! You can can tuck into Anglesey's mussels
without compunction as, remarkably for aquaculture, this type of
farming requires no inputs, chemicals, feed or fertilisers.
Generally, traditional dredge mussel fisheries are declining in
the UK, with a gradual move away from the exploitative dredging of
wild beds, and a move towards the type of mussel cultivation
practised on the Menai Strait.
The common/blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) is a filter-feeding
bivalve mollusc commonly found all around the UK's coasts - as well
as in sea lochs and coastal estuaries etc. You may have seen them
close to foreshore, attached to rocks or man-made structures such
as piers, where they tend to be small with thick shells. They grow
more slowly in these positions because they're exposed to the air
for longer, and therefore can't feed as often.
(Beaumaris Pier)
Mussel Farming:
To start the cultivation process small mussels, known as seed, are
collected from the wild. These are then 'transplanted' to
on-growing areas. This usually means attaching them to ropes (or
similar) that are suspended from longlines or rafts on the surface
- and makes use of the mussels capability to attach themselves to
such 'substrates'.
The reason people 'farm' mussels is because wild mussel or 'seed'
beds tend to be transitory, often disappearing after storms - they
can also be totally wiped-out by predators such as starfish.
Growing them in more sheltered and managed areas means the mussel
farmer gets a much better return. On top of this, it's a far less
disruptive way of procuring mussels than dredging - yet more
productive than collecting wild mussels by hand.
Furthermore, the presence of a mussel or oyster farm can actually
be positive for the local marine environment, with the beds forming
important habitats. Not only do they support an array of
marine creatures, but land-lovers and birdlife too e.g.
cormorants, curlews, oystercatchers, egrets, herons, plovers, gulls
- and even crows. I told you you could enjoy your meal conscience
free!
If you're close to the Strait at the right time you might even
catch a crafty crow carrying its 'meal' to the roads alongside,
where they're known to drop them from above - which breaks the
shell! Apparently, seagulls have been seen attempting to copy this
ingenious feat, but never get their mussels further than the
mud!
You can obviously still forage for wild mussels yourselves,
they're pretty prevalent on the rocks all around Anglesey and North
Wales however, I've always found them to be a little gritty - but
fun to collect and cook.
For delicious 'Menai' mussels try:
or one of our fabulous restaurants:
On Saturday the 20th of August (10am - 5pm), why not stop off at
The
Menai Seafood Festival? A super event that celebrates the
coastal heritage of North Wales. With delicious local produce,
cooking demonstrations, music, art, craft - and activities for
children - it really is a lovely day out!
There's also Anglesey's Oyster, Shellfish & Welsh Produce
Festival in October (dates to be confirmed). Oysters and mussels,
cultivated in the Menai Strait, certainly take centre stage at this
fabulous two-day event in Trearddur Bay, however, there's more to the
festival than just our Island's superb shellfish; It honours a
profusion of produce from all over Anglesey and North Wales. Find
out more about the Anglesey Oyster & Welsh Produce Festival
here.
To book a fantastic coastal cottage close click here.