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.