Blue mussels caught by the Niedersächsische Muschelfischer GbR in the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony have been MSC certified.
The fishers have recently diversified the way they operate, producing more mussels by complementing mussels fished from mussel beds with mussels that have settled on floating nets. The mussels harvested from the mussels beds and from the nets are grown to maturity in designated ‘culture plots’ before being marketed.
The Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony is a National Park and has restrictions on commercial activity. For the blue mussel fishers, the rules mean that almost one third of the 102 stable mussel locations in the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony are closed to fishing. Other measures include obtaining permission from the authorities for each mussel bed they want to harvest, closed seasons for certain areas, and recording all activities using a ‘Black Box’.
The mussel biomass has increased from 9,000 to 39,000 tonnes between 2005 and 2012.
As part of the MSC certification, the fishers have committed to carrying out a research project to find out whether further stable mussel beds can develop in the Wadden Sea of Lower Saxony.
