Salt Spring Island Mussels
Mytilus gallo provincialis x Mytilus edulis
Dedication and Care
Founded by Paul Simpson, Salt Spring Island Farms was the first successful mussel farm in British Columbia, Canada. With a specialized hatchery, this vertically integrated farm breeds a hybrid of the Mediterranean mussel (Mytilus gallo provincialis) and the Atlantic Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) resulting in large, plump, sweet mussels, harvested year-round.
Great care and respect is given to the farm and its surroundings. The farm manager is a fourth generation islander and her assistant is a member of the Klahoose, the local First Nation whose territory the farm operates in.
The farm is OceanWise certified by the Vancouver Aquarium, is rated as a “Best Choice” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch Program, and is certified by the Blue Ocean Institute. The farm is currently undergoing organic certification in British Columbia.
Growing Show-Stopping Mussels Since 1996
Salt Spring Island Mussels are harvested in medium and large sizes.They have a wide, deep cup filled with meat thanks to the clean, cold, nutrient-rich waters of the Strait of Georgia. The mussels are suspended from rafts by biodegradable cotton and coconut fiber ropes, making this regenerative mussel-culture a model operation.
The naturally occurring phytoplankton and zooplankton provide abundant feed for the shellfish. This is what gives them the sweet taste and nutrients to grow to such an impressive size.
Mussels are low in fat, high in protein, a great source of vitamin B12, iron, phosphorus, manganese, as well as vitamin C, folate, potassium, and zinc.
Farm Location
The farm is located in the waters off Salt Spring Island, the largest of the islands in the Strait of Georgia. It is situated between Vancouver Island and the mainland of British Columbia, Canada and benefits from the upwelling of a constant supply of nutrient-dense waters thanks to the deep marine canyon just off Puget Sound.
Because of the orientation of this canyon, water flow in the area has been documented at 1.3 feet per second at 500 feet below the surface, a water mixing level up to 1,000 times typical rates for the deep ocean. (research link)