The night before last I was woken just before midnight by what sounded like a sonic boom. The night was perfectly still and brightly lit by an almost full moon. Thinking I must have been dreaming I went back to sleep though next morning I looked around in case a tree had fallen down of there had been a major rockslide, but nothing. When I got to work others reported the same experience and the conclusion was that it was an earth tremor. Apparently we lie on a fault which stretched out past the island of Islay which has also been experiencing tremors recently. I later learnt that they are nothing new – Google came up with cuttings from 1956 reporting exactly the same events. New on for me though, to add to the excitements of living in Argyll.
At this time of year the vagaries of the weather seem even more diverse than usual. Today we woke up to blue skies but snow is forecast for later. We are having a new water treatment system installed in the field in front of the oyster bar and they are having to pump water out of the hole they have dug to put the tanks in.
You can feel a ‘quickening’ going on all around with daffodils bravely forcing their way out, and even some cherry blossom. Our mussels traditionally start spawning at the same time as the daffodils come out so our mussel farm team are keeping an eye on them. Once they start we will leave them alone as the spawning process produces a red liquid which doesn’t taste good. The spawning process is an essential part of the cycle of growing mussels. Here’s the best explanation I have found of what happens:
When the conditions are right, the male and female mussels spawn releasing their eggs and sperm into the water where the eggs are immediately fertilized. Within 24 hours the fertilized eggs become swimming larvae and remain so for around a time span of three weeks, at which time they go through another change where they develop their shell and other organs. At this point they are ready to settle on something solid.
As the mussel goes through this final change from a swimming larvae to its shelled form it is about (1/3 of a millimeter) long, it develops a foot. On the base of this foot there is a gland which secretes a very strong cement to whatever it attaches itself to. (In our case ropes we hang in the Loch)
Once attached (to whatever), the mussel pulls its foot back creating a thread of the cement which hardens on contact with the sea water. The mussel will continue to put out these threads until it is securely attached to some structure. At that point it has pretty much found its home for life, although it can use its foot to attach to something nearby and still move a little bit. Once settled the mussels begin to feed.
Mussels require an abundant supply of clear contaminant free water. ( equals Loch Fyne)
(www.nzunderwaterlife)
Mussels around Scotland spawn at different times so when ours are spawning we shift our supply to Shetland to that we can keep out customers supplied all year round.
Once spring has sprung and the mussels spat has attached itself to our ropes we go back to our own farm.
Tonight I am off to tell the local Brownie group all about Mussels – let’s hope there are no earth tremors or heavy snow falls to add to the adventure!
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