The Prince Edward Island mussel industry is back to full production, following an unprecedented winter.
Record snowfalls were recorded in Prince Edward Island this past winter, with over 18 feet (551cm) being accumulated in some areas. The weight of this snowfall affected the ice conditions and made harvesting extremely difficult.
“Ensuring the safety of our farmers and employees was first and foremost as ice conditions were constantly changing”, said Linda Duncan, executive director of the Mussel Industry Council of PEI. “This made keeping up with full production a significant challenge for everyone.”
Despite all the challenges this past winter, consumers recognised the harvesting difficulties and were very understanding that production was being limited.
“Mussels are one of the most popular dishes we offer, and we always serve the freshest mussels from Prince Edward Island”, said Jon Hebert, executive chef of The Portsmouth Brewery in New Hampshire. “There was only one option to us, which was to take them off our menu until supplies returned, because it’s very important to me to serve only the best mussels we can.”
With temperatures rising to break up the ice, and winds working to push remaining ice out of the harbours, the industry is now back to full production and able to meet the waiting demand.
PEI Mussels are the top selling mussel in North America, with a yield of over 50 million pounds (22,730 tonnes) harvested annually. The PEI industry represents 80% of Canadian mussel production.
PEI Mussels are rope-grown and harvested all-year round. Typically, fresh mussels are farmed, processed and shipped to major North American destinations in under 72 hours even when the waters are covered with ice.
