CABO de PEÑAS Mussels

Mussels are bivalve molluscs that live in natural schools stuck to the rocks in the intertide zone, and are exposed during low tide. It is a unisexual species (there are male and female specimens) and fertilisation takes place in the sea. They feed by filtering water through their gills and retaining nourishing particles (phytoplankton, zooplankton and organic substances), and are capable of pumping up to seven litres of water per hour. One of the mussel’s main characteristics is that they can be artificially cultivated in floating farms (mussel beds). This culture started at the beginning of the 20th century in Barcelona and was introduced in the estuary of Arousa in the 40’s. This meant a productivity boom due to the special characteristics of the Galician estuaries that contribute to their growth, being from two to five times higher than in the rest of Europe, what represents 50% of the world production.