For most people, losing two million scallops overnight would send them looking for a regular paycheque. Not so for Terry Mills. The former diver saw opportunity in the cold, clean waters off Newfoundland’s northeast coast. But he needed to find a species that could be affordably grown with good market potential. Through dogged persistence, Mills found the answer – blue mussels. Cultivating them since 1986, Mills and about 20 other growers across the province are now part of an expanding industry.
“We harvest and supply blue mussels 52 weeks of the year,” says Mills. That year-round production typifies a consistent five-year trend for the entire local industry, says Cyr Couturier, president, Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association. The province’s production of 3,500 tonnes has an export value of $8 million. That is expected to increase over the next few years as the North American demand for fresh product continues to grow.
Badger Bay Mussel Farm
With Newfoundland and Labrador’s access to Europe, Couturier says the local industry has an enviable competitive advantage. Efforts to expand current marketing are underway including Fly Fresh Freight’s initiative that delivers fresh seafood on a regular basis to the European marketplace.
Meanwhile, Newfoundland and Labrador is leading a generic marketing campaign for Canadian fresh mussels. Having “got everyone around the table for the first time in 20 years,” Couturier points to this cooperation as another indicator of a maturing industry.
Terry Mills also recognizes the need for co-operation. Three years ago he formed a partnership with a value-add processor creating Norlantic Processors Ltd. “We have expertise in growing and processing and our partner [GreenSeafoods] has expertise in value-add and marketing. It’s a good marriage,” he said. Last year, the company opened the only dedicated mussel processing facility on the island. Mills will produce four million pounds next year and anticipates reaching five million pounds within another three years.
Technology, which included modification of the New Zealand method of continuous, long-line culture which was specifically adapted for local winter ice conditions, was developed by local university researchers and industry and has radically changed the industry in the past few years. The most environmentally sustainable method used in Canada, reusing, rather than disposing of mesh tubes, reduces production costs and increases yields.
“In the last seven years we’ve gone from sporadic production to year-round supply of high quality mussels using home-grown technology and environmental stewardship. That’s a real success,” says Couturier. With about 40 per cent of the northeast coast underutilized, and hundreds of kilometres on the Island’s south coast available and suitable for mussel farming, Couturier says the growth potential for mussels is unlimited.
