It takes almost two years to cultivate delicious farmed fresh blue mussels. The spawning season runs from May to July, varying slightly between provinces. Males release billions of sperm into the water triggering females to release millions of eggs. The fertilized eggs quickly develop into free-swimming larvae, floating in the water for 21 to 30 days depending on where they are grown.

 

During this time, mussel growers prepare special collectors made of frayed rope suspended in the water by buoys. The larvae attach themselves to this surface.

 

By September, the mussels have grown enough to be collected and transferred into a tubular mesh material called a sock, which can be anywhere from six to 20 feet long (2 to 6 metres).

 

The socks are left suspended in the water for anywhere from 18-30 months depending on the site and the province. During this time, the mussels move to attach themselves to the outside surface of the mesh.

Mussels are harvested all year long. They’re removed from the water attached to the mesh sock or rope. They are then removed from the socks on site or at a special processing facility, and are placed in holding tanks until they’re ready to be shipped.

 

Before shipping, mussels are removed from the tank, cleaned and their “beards” are removed (beards are little strings that mussels use to cling to the rope). The mussels are sized, inspected and loaded into bags for shipping.