Mussel Farming

The life cycle of a mussel begins as a free-floating larva, which occur naturally in PEI waters. These larvae will attach themselves to spat collectors suspended in the water by mussel growers and remain there until they reach a size of approximately 1.5 centimeters. At this time the spat is harvested, graded and transferred into tube like stockings known as "socks" which are hung on long lines to allow the mussels to grow to market size. These long lines are anchored to the bottom of the bays and are suspended using buoys below the surface of the water.

After approximately one year growing in the sock "Island Gold" Mussels have reached market size and are ready to be harvest. Market size mussels will be 6 - 7 centimeters long and will have 20 - 26 pieces per pound. Harvesting is carried out using boats in the summer months and in the winter long lines are winched through holes cut in the ice and the mussels are hauled to shore on sleighs.

Prince Edward Aqua Farms shareholders grow a large supply of our mussels; we also purchase mussels from independent growers every year. Our growers have access to some of the most ideal growing conditions available anywhere, and they take great pride in delivering a first rate product to the marketplace.

When mussels are prepared for shipment they are removed from wet storage and passed through a more thorough washing process followed by a de-bearding process and a hand grading process. "Island Gold" Cultured Mussels are packed by weight in bags from 2 lbs to 25 lbs and are shipped in waxed cardboard boxes weighing from 10 lbs to 1000lbs. The shelf life of a mussel is 10 - 14 days when stored properly between -1 and 4 degrees and out of the sun or wind.

Prince Edward Aqua Farms is one of the largest processors of cultured mussel on Prince Edward Island. The company operates year round with a staff of approximately 35.

top...

Scallop Farming

Sea scallop farming is a process that goes through certain steps. First spat are collected from the wild or from hatcheries. The juvenile scallops are then grown in hatcheries and suspended on long lines using fine mesh lantern nets or pearl nets. The final step is to grow them out in the ocean. A number of methods can be used. One is Chinese lantern nets. Another technique involves passing loops through small holes drilled in the outer edge of the scallop shell and hanging them from the long line. Water proof adhesives are a third option and growing scallops on the sea floor (bottom culture) is the fourth. Growth varies from site to site, but with suspended culture, scallops usually take 18 months to two years to grow to market size.

top...

Clam Farming

If cultivating agricultural fields before planting a new crop of potatoes or corn is essential to the commercial success of an agricultural farm, wouldn't the same apply to clam seeding activities for an aquacultural farm? The benefits of cultivating and enriching the soils for agricultural activities are well known and special treatment for specific crops are readily available. This knowledge and various applications have evolved from many decades of research, development and trials. Aquaculture, however, is relatively new and although culture techniques have developed rapidly over the past decade, sea bottom treatment methods for shellfish aquaculture is still relatively unknown.

Over the past five years, researchers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Gulf Fisheries Centre (GFC) in Moncton, in collaboration with the P.E.I. Department of Fisheries and Environment and the Geological Survey of Canada (Atlantic), have been testing the idea of bottom manipulation for clam aquaculture.

Bottom modification is not entirely new for shellfish production. Adding gravel and shell material to the sea bottom for oyster and clam culture and enhancement is a common practice in many coastal areas. Shell cultch is mainly used to provide a clean substrate on which oyster spat settle and then attach themselves. In certain areas of the USA, returning shell material to harvested beds is regulated and paid by the fishing industry through a landing levy. The use of gravel is used to provide a measure of predator control and is particularly efficient for reducing crab predation on juvenile clams.

The research work conducted at GFC is exploring bottom manipulation in more detail. This all started with Myron Caseley, along with other clam farmers from P.E.I., who wanted to develop soft shell clam culture. While harvesting soft shell clams with a hydraulic rake, they had observed that clams seemed to borrow faster in freshly disturbed sediments compared to the undisturbed areas. Liquefying the sediment, therefore, seemed to be a good technique to prepare the sea bottom before planting clam seed. The hydraulic rake is a harvesting tool that sends a high pressure jet of water into the sediment which liquefies it. Clams, being less dense than the sediment, remain on the surface and are collected. This technique is now being used regularly by all growers participating in clam culture development projects in P.E.I.

While research to answer these questions has only been conducted for two years, results on the physical aspect of sea bottom manipulation are already providing some interesting information. Liquefying the sediment with the hydraulic rake mainly affects the upper 15 cm of the sea bottom. The affected areas are looser and this is evaluated by determining the bulk density and velocity of sediment samples or cores using an x-ray like piece of equipment called the Multi Track Sensor. Within a two week period, most of the changes in the physical properties of the upper sediments have returned to their original state. It is believed that the rapid recovery is being driven by biological activity which may be influenced by the chemical characteristics of manipulated sediment. It has been documented, however, that sediment modification with the hydraulic rake does not kill newly settled clams and, in fact, may enhance their chance of survival when performed a short time before they settle. This suggests that sediment modification or cultivation of the sea bottom could, in fact, be beneficial to the development of clam culture. Providing a better environment for clams to achieve higher production has to include a better understanding of the sediment. Clam farming, like potato farming, can benefit from conditioning the growout fields for better crops all the way from the sand bank to the dollar bank.

top...