Blue Mussels, Golden Opportunity
Tidings | Apr 20, 2020
![A scientist measuring a mussel on a boat](https://d3esu6nj4wau0q.cloudfront.net/images/tidings-IMG_20181112_111901323_HDR-horizontal.width-1920.jpg)
Blue mussels from Maine are both a special part of the ecosystem and an iconic seafood dish. People from here and away have enjoyed them for centuries and they have only increased in popularity over the last decade.
However, despite their importance, managers and buyers struggle to make decisions about blue mussels due to a lack of data. To address this need, we’re working with industry partners to collect better data through a process called a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP).
"The goal of the FIP is to ensure the long-term health of the mussel fishery in Maine and the economic sustainability of the mussel industry,” said Kyle Foley, Sustainable Seafood Program Manager. “It’s encouraging to see the variety of businesses up and down the supply chain that are committed to this goal.”
The collaboration includes eight companies — Acadia Aqua Farms, Bristol Seafood, Cape Cod Shellfish Company, Euclid Fish Company, Hannaford Supermarkets, J.P.’s Shellfish, Maine Shellfish Company, and Moosabec Mussels — which represent each step of the mussel supply chain from boat to plate. The project provides digital measurement tools to help these businesses quickly and accurately record crucial data while on the water. Their data will help us ask and answer questions about mussel distribution, population size, climate change resiliency, and more.
In the coming months, the group of collaborators will gather more data, network with scientific and fishing communities, and pursue additional funding to learn more about this keystone species and important fishery.
-
Gulf of Maine Warming Update: Spring 2024
Over the past decade, scientists have led a body of research that highlights the rapid pace of warming in the Gulf of Maine. To help …
Reports
-
Gulf of Maine, Explained: Tracking Ocean Conditions
GMRI Senior Program Manager, and leader of our Ocean Data Products team, Riley Young-Morse explains how she uses deep water buoys to collect data on …
Gulf of Maine, Explained
-
Gulf of Maine, Explained: Environmental DNA (eDNA)
GMRI Research Scientist Dr. Graham Sherwood, who leads our Fisheries Ecology Lab, explains how environmental DNA (eDNA) can help us study fish populations in the …
Gulf of Maine, Explained
-
Gulf of Maine, Explained: Species Distribution Modeling
GMRI Quantitative Research Associate Dr. Andrew Allyn talks about how scientists use computer models to understand where fish are in the Gulf of Maine, and …
Gulf of Maine, Explained