Mussel farming is an actual type of business that can provide a stable income regardless of the season. Mussels are a gourmet product: they are in demand in restaurants and cafes, and are also popular in specialized stores. These mollusks can even be grown on their own in their own living quarters, using large aquariums for this purpose.
General information, pros and cons of business
More and more people prefer fish and seafood to traditional red meat, which negatively affects their health. Mussels contain a large amount of protein and a high concentration of vitamin B. Shellfish are also rich in zinc, iodine, manganese.
Popularization of Asian and Spanish cuisines, which often use shellfish, has also affected increased demand for mussels. That is why their breeding can be called a promising industry.
Especially beneficial will be the cultivation of mussels for those who live near the sea. For spawning, these mollusks have a water temperature of 10-12 degrees.
The advantages of this type of business include the following:
- lack of need for the purchase of fry - they are washed ashore in waves;
- lack of need to spend a lot of money on food: mollusks grown in the sea themselves take food from the water, algae and plankton act as food;
- lack of need for significant labor costs and financial investments for the contents of mollusks;
- continuity of production;
- the possibility of complete processing of products;
- the opportunity to get a lot of mussels right away, as they are prolific: in one season an adult gives more than 10,000 eggs;
- the opportunity to sell finished products at a high price;
- high demand.
The disadvantages of this type of activity include the high costs of acquiring shellfish processing systems.
The peculiarity of breeding is to simulate the conditions for the growth and development of mollusks in the natural environment.
Business plan
To organize activities, you need to purchase the necessary equipment and develop a detailed plan that takes into account all costs, revenues and payback periods.
In this case, it is necessary to take into account such costs:
- lease of a coastline (if mussels are grown directly at sea);
- construction of structures, collectors and carriers;
- equipment of the mussel processing workshop: it should contain machines for blanching and cooking mussels, washing equipment.
Experts point out that all expenses for organizing a business, including staff salaries, are about $ 20,000.
Business pays off in about three years. Profitability ratio will be 20%.
Types of mussels for industrial breeding
The main types of mollusks that are suitable for breeding at home farm are the following:
- Plain (or edible) mussel. This is the most common type of mollusk. Such mussels breed all year round. The required size for sale (5-8 cm) they reach in 3 years. For their full-fledged habitat, the temperature of the water in which they live should be in the range of 10-20 degrees. Depth of habitat - up to 60 m.
- Giant (Gray mussel). It has large dimensions - the length of the shell is about 20 cm, the mass of the mollusk together with the shell reaches 1.6 kg.
- Korean Mussels of this species live at a depth of 40 m. They grow up to 5-6 cm in 2 years.
- Mediterranean These mussels live at a depth of 1 to 20 m. The temperature at which they develop is from 15 to 18 degrees above zero.
Common mussel
Gray mussel
Korean mussel
Mediterranean mussel
It is best to choose one species of mollusks for breeding, since each of them requires certain conditions: temperature, depth, salinity level.
Growing Technology Options
Mussels can be bred in many ways: in vivo (at sea), in a fresh water reservoir, in an aquarium, and even on the ground.
Aquarium breeding
In aquariums, it is not easy to contain mussels of the marine species: freshwater mollusks will feel best in them. The aquarium needs a spacious, necessarily equipped with filtration and aeration systems. So that the shells of the mollusks are strong, the water is enriched with calcium. Chalk and pure limestone are placed at the bottom of the aquarium.
Since the aquarium does not have the microorganisms that mussels eat in vivo, it is important to regularly feed. Soaked food for fish, egg yolks can act as food sources.
Ground breeding
This is a simple and least expensive way. The growth of mollusks is carried out on the shallows, in pre-prepared areas. They must be protected from parasites and predators.
Mussels are placed in these areas after collection. From May to September, larvae are collected.
Young mollusks are transplanted onto rope headers. Cultivation lasts about 2.5 years. During this time, mussels reach marketable weight.
Features of the business on mussels when grown in fresh water
To breed mussels in this way, you should choose the species of mollusks that live in such waters. Water temperature should not be lower than +12 degrees.
To make an artificial collector, they use old seines to save. They need to be tied knots. The collector is fixed on a horizontal rope and placed in an elastic sheath - this will not allow the mussels to slide off the collector.
To obtain a "crop", you must correctly select the site in a fresh water reservoir. A specialist who has an idea of the features of growing mollusks can help with this.
Clam breeding on a site near the sea
Mussels can also be bred in the sea, in a natural environment for mollusks. In this case, first you need to rent a certain section of the coast and arrange all the necessary documents for this.
In order to ensure the production process, it is necessary to manufacture a collector. To do this, take a long nylon rope. It needs to be folded in the form of an accordion.
Floats are attached to the top, concrete weights are attached to the bottom. For safety, the collector is lowered to a depth of 1.5 m. Due to this, it will not be damaged by ice in the winter.
Polyfoam is strung between the weights and floats, to which mussels will be attached during settling.
The collector should be installed in spring or autumn, when mussels begin the mating period.
The height of the collector is usually 4-7 m. The recommended depth at which it should be installed is up to 21 m.
One such collector can bring a “harvest” of mussels up to 60 kg. When collecting mollusks, the diver plunges into the sea and cuts cargo. The collected mussels are blanched in boiling water. After that, the shells open, which makes it easy to remove the meat.
When organizing a farm for breeding mussels in the sea, you need to choose places of maximum concentration of larvae. They can be where a cyclonic flow is seen. In addition, the following criteria should be taken into account:
- wave load: it must be moderate, otherwise the collectors are carried away by a strong current;
- environmental safety: do not place breeding sites for mussels in places near industrial enterprises that throw toxic waste into the sea;
- nature of the relief: the bottom of the site on which the mussels will be bred should be flat, without pronounced differences.
It should be noted that not the entire area of the Sea of Azov has the conditions necessary for breeding mussels. It is best to place a farm in the Black Sea. The fact is that most of the Sea of Azov is characterized by insufficiently salty water.
On the Black Sea coast there is a natural food supply for mollusks.
Ways to sell products
The first “harvest” of mollusks is harvested a year after the larvae attach to the artificial collector. Over the year, mollusks reached marketable sizes of 6-7 cm. They are collected from July to October.
Demand for mussels is growing. Large customers will be restaurants and cafes, as well as shops selling fish and seafood. Another option for the sale of mussels is the opening of their own point in the market and the sale of shellfish at a retail price.
As practice shows, wholesales of shellfish are more profitable than retail.
With the development of the business, you can expand the scope and open the production of canned goods. It will also be in demand due to the long shelf life.
In order for as many people as possible to learn about products, it will require investment in advertising. You can create your own website, informing potential buyers with its help about all current offers and prices.
Some farmers use the “non-waste” method of production for maximum profitability. So, biologically active additives are prepared from waste (mussels contain many trace elements and nutrients), sauces, caviar substitutes.
Breeding mussels in a home farm is a profitable business that requires a large start-up investment. It is characterized by high profitability, which is associated with the demand for mollusks. You can organize mid-farming in different ways - both in sea and in fresh water, as well as on the ground.