When the mussels grow to 55 mm, they are ready for market. They are removed from the growing ropes using a custom-designed stripping machine and then washed, declumped, and de-bearded for marketing.
Offshore mussels are raised in a less turbulent environment than those farmed near shore, and therefore have thinner shells and higher meat content. While this a desirable product for the consumer, the mussels are more fragile and require more gentle handling. We have been working with commercial operators to adapt equipment to process market-ready mussels on board and avoid addition shoreside processing.
Submerged offshore culture produces a clean product with no grit, so there’s no need to purge the shellfish with water as is customary with inshore farmed mussels.
