Taxonomy
- Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia (2-shelled) molluscs. More specifically, the word "mussel" is frequently used to mean the edible bivalves of the marine family Mytilidae, which contains most of the edible species farmed by humans.
Species
of Commercial Interest
- Approximately 17 species are edible, of which the most commonly eaten are Mytilus edulis, M. galloprovincialis, M. trossellus and Perna canaliculus. The major producers are China, Spain, Italy, Thailand, France and New Zealand. The U.S. imports most of its mussels from developed nations with stringent environmental regulations.
Distribution
- Different species of mussel occur in all of the world's oceans, and farmed mussels are available for consumption year-round. Marine mussels are abundant in the low and mid intertidal zone in temperate seas globally. Other species of marine mussel live in tropical intertidal areas, but not in the same huge numbers as in temperate zones. Certain species of marine mussels prefer salt marshes or quiet bays, while others thrive in pounding surf, completely covering wave-washed rocks. Some species have colonized abyssal depths near hydrothermal vents. Because they use calcium carbonate to construct their shells, they prefer water with a high mineral content.
Biology
- Both marine and freshwater mussels are filter feeders; they feed on plankton and other microscopic sea creatures which are free-floating in seawater. Marine mussels are usually found clumping together on wave-washed rocks, each attached to the rock by its byssus. The clumping habit helps hold the mussels firm against the force of the waves. At low tide mussels in the middle of a clump will undergo less water loss because of water capture by the other mussels.
- Both marine and freshwater mussels are gonochoristic, with separate male and female individuals. In marine mussels, fertilization occurs outside the body, with a larval stage that drifts for three weeks to six months, before settling on a hard surface as a young mussel. There, it is capable of moving slowly by means of attaching and detaching byssal threads to attain a better life position. Freshwater mussels reproduce sexually.
Sustainability
- IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (NE) or Least Concern (LC)
- MBA Seafood Watch:
Potential
Health Concerns
- Mussel poisoning due to toxic planktonic organisms (dinoflagellates) can be a danger along some coastlines. For instance, mussels should be avoided along the west coast of the United States during the warmer months. This poisoning is usually due to a bloom of dinoflagellates during a red tide event. The dinoflagellates contain a toxin that is harmless to mussels, even when concentrated by the mussel's filter feeding, but if the mussels are consumed by humans, the concentrated toxins cause serious illness such as paralytic shellfish poisoning. The U.S. government monitors the levels of toxins throughout the year at fishing sites.
