Blue Mussels

There are wild US fisheries in Maine, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island for blue mussels. Maine accounts for the majority of catch in the US. Blue mussels are caught in the winter before the spawning season, when their meat is considered to have the best market value. Commercial catch levels have historically fluctuated but is currently at low levels relative to other shellfish species. In Maine between 2000-2015, annual landings averaged 17 million pounds. The highest landings recorded were in 1995 at 37 million pounds. Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island have comparatively smaller-scale fisheries. They are harvested with hand rakes but 95% of the time are harvested with boat dredges.

Wild blue mussels are managed at the individual state-level by the Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR), Massachusetts Department of Marine Fisheries (MADMF), New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), and Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM).

In Maine, licenses are required to commercially fish for blue mussels, and landings cannot be combined with other shellfish. Fishers must tag them with the following information:

• Fisher’s name
• License number
• Date and time of catch
• Catch location
• Quantity of mussels

MDMR first put regulations in place for blue mussels in 1988 in an effort to protect wild populations from aquaculture efforts. Regulations also restrict mussel drags to have a maximum width of 6.5 ft, and fishing with gear is restricted between sunset and sunrise. There is no daily or annual catch limit for those who fish by hand or with a drag.

In Massachusetts, towns that border the coastal waters are given the authority to control and regulate the take of any kind of shellfish. However, MADMF has the authority to regulate shellfish taken from contaminated areas. Town regulations include:

• Daily limits
• Size limits
• Gear restrictions
• Temporary and seasonal closures

Harvesting blue mussels by hand rake in New York requires a NYSDEC permit and is also subject to a town permit depending on the town. A specific permit is required when using a dredge, which also has a daily catch limit. Fishing for shellfish is allowed year-round, but only during daylight hours and in designated areas.  

Specific permits are also required to harvest blue mussels with dredges in Rhode Island. State agencies, the fishing industry, and stakeholders developed the Shellfish Management Plan in 2014 to establish Shellfish Management Areas to conserve and rebuild shellfish resources. This plan puts catch limits on commercial fishing within these Management Areas and no limits outside.

Blue mussels are also farmed globally, on both coasts of North America, in Europe, Canada’s Prince Edward Island, China, and South America. Because they are filter feeders, feed is not required to grow them and thus there are no effluent concerns. Mussel farming in fact increases water quality at farming sites by removing excess nutrients and phytoplankton. Farming operations are typically located in intertidal and shallow subtidal environments, as well as in waters deeper than 66 ft (20 m). Farming operation impacts on the habitat are considered minimal.

Mussel culture generally does not require chemicals such as antibiotics, pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to control fouling, predators, or disease. Production for farmed mussels include on-bottom or suspended culture. Suspended culture is more common as it allows for quick growth, low predation, and reduced sand accumulation. There are no safeguards for larval escape due to unrestricted broadcast spawning, so for those mussels that are cultured in their non-native ranges, these recipient ecosystems have been impacted through resource competition and habitat modification.

Stock for farmed mussels comes from active collection via dredging, natural settlement, and passive settlement. Hatcheries are seldomly used to supply seed but have been employed by China since the 1970s. Most recently, the US Pacific Northwest has begun to use hatcheries as well.

In 2016, the US produced 894,000 pounds of mussels, valued at $10.48 million. Maine is the largest US farmed blue mussel producer, and Washington is the West Coast’s major producer. US blue mussel aquaculture is federally managed by:

• NOAA
• Army Corps of Engineers
• Fish & Wildlife Service
• US Department of Agriculture
• Environmental Protection Agency
• Food and Drug Administration
• Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
• Coast Guard

Aquaculture farms must follow regulations outlined in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation & Management Act, the Endangered Species Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, and the Clean Water Act.