Mussel

From ArticleWorld

A mussel is a mollusk that can be found in creeks, rivers, lakes, intertidal areas, and the ocean.

Mussels as food

Mussels are usually prepared boiled or steamed. As with all shellfish, mussels should be alive just before they are cooked. A simple criterion is that live mussels are tightly shut. Open mussels are dead and should be discarded.

Commercial cultivation

Mussel farming has a long history that dates back to the thirteenth century. The main producers of mussels are countries such as China, Korea, Spain, The Netherlands, Denmark, France and New Zealand. Freshwater mussels are used as host animals for the cultivation of freshwater pearls and a species of marine mussel, the Blue Mussel, is also cultivated as a source of food. There are a variety of techniques for growing mussels. With the intertidal growth technique, pilings are planted at sea. Ropes, on which the mussels grow, are tied in a spiral on the pilings.

Zebra Mussels

An invasive species, zebra mussels are currently causing serious problems in North America and Sweden. First seen in the Netherlands in 1850, canals and waterways helped the zebra mussel make it’s way around the world. By 1988, they had been detected in the Great Lakes, in the United States. They have now spread to a large number of waterways, disrupting ecosystems, killing the local unionid mussels, and damaging harbors, boats, and power plants.