Mussels?

[whisper]

These were much bigger than 50mm and the structure is covered to, I've been asked so many times by passengers if they can gather some but I don't want to cook up something that will give them food poisoning or worse.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by whisper

I know of a steel structure covered in mussels, When the tide goes out they can just be collected very easily.

Is it ok just to pick them off and cook them or will the rusting metal have caused any change to the flavour?

They will contain plenty iron then.... which I believe is good for you

[wavelength]

but I don't want to cook up something that will give them food poisoning or worse.

Dave's rules of survival(1) dont eat anything if you are wondering, even just a little bit, if it may cause you to wake up dead in the morning!
Exemptions of course include donner kebabs, burgers, and other such delicacies eaten on the way back from the pub whilst in a slightly intoxicated state of invincibility.
Our mussel feasts have been fine, a bit gritty sometimes thru inadequate flushing in fresh water. Only once did our most prolific mussel scoffer feel a tad unwell the next day and we havent bothered since. Still I'm up there next week and will have a boil up and see if I make it thru til Friday. But as said they come from miles offshore in an area with a massive tidal range and little traffic.

[kerny]

Originally Posted by willk

It's completely different to boats at sea...

The reasons for which I shall list later if someone hasn't beaten me to it between times.

[Pikey Dave]

Sh1t & decomposing organic matter is the bottom of the food chain. Nobody bats an eye when we use it to grow veg & fruit. We are all made of sh1t, some more than others I dont have an issue with shellfish feeding on organics, it's the heavy metals & non-organics that worry me, PCBs anyone

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

PCBs anyone

Acronym Definition
PCB Printed Circuit Board
PCB Polychlorinated Biphenyls (CAS Number 27323-18-8)
PCB Pakistan Cricket Board
PCB Panama City Beach (Florida)
PCB Partido Comunista Brasileiro (Brazilian Communist Party)
PCB Process Control Block
PCB Pollution Control Board
PCB Programme Coordinating Board
PCB Perfect Cherry Blossom (game)
PCB Physics, Chemistry and Biology
PCB Professional Capacity Building
PCB Power Circuit Breaker
PCB Pennsylvania Certification Board
PCB Please Call Back
PCB President's Council on Bioethics
PCB Pakistan Computer Bureau
PCB Professional Certification Board
PCB Program Control Block
PCB Proposed Committee Bill
PCB Planning Capacity Building
PCB Program Control Board
PCB Parts Control Board
PCB Post Coital Bleeding
PCB Plenum Chamber Burning
PCB Pensions Compensation Board (UK)
PCB Power Control Bit
PCB Project Control Board
PCB Power Cut Back
PCB Packet Control Block
PCB Pico Coulomb (aka PicoCoulomB; electrical charge)
PCB Program Change Board
PCB Polar Covalent Bond
PCB Payload Control Board
PCB Plymouth Concert Band (Plymouth, MN)
PCB Process Correspondence Batch
PCB Poker Club Brignais (French poker club; Brignais, France)
PCB Pomona Concert Band (Pomona, CA)
PCB Pentachlorobenzole
PCB Person Call Back (telephony/communications)
PCB Planning Change Board
PCB Projected Class Baseline
PCB Power Control Beacon
PCB Peninsula Concert Band
PCB Pre-Cast Billeting
PCB Perinton Concert Band (Rochester, NY)
PCB Professional Certificate in Bioinformatics
PCB Plano Community Band (Plano, TX)
PCB Pensacola Civic Band (Pensacola, FL)
PCB Politically Correct Buzzword
PCB Plymouth Community Band (Plymouth, MI)
PCB Palatine Concert Band (Palatine, Illinois)
PCB Pomerado Community Band (San Diego, CA)
PCB Potomac Concert Band
PCB ProCredit Bank (various locations)
PCB Pest Control Business
PCB Pert Citizens' Band (Perth, ON, Canada)
PCB Phoenix Community Concert Band (Phoenix, NY)

[Nos4r2]

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Evil stuff, really carcinogenic. As nasty a material as Asbestos,but liquid.

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Polychlorinated Biphenyls

Evil stuff, really carcinogenic. As nasty a material as Asbestos,but liquid.

Ok, thats good enough for me I won't be eating those

[Nos4r2]

Erm, do what?

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Erm, do what?

Alright giss a minute

[whisper]

Just click on this

EDAM article player

[Pikey Dave]

Ah! stop yer mythering, something will kill you in the end, I'd rather it be food than a bus.

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Ah! stop yer mythering, something will kill you in the end, I'd rather it be food than a bus.

Not wanting to give the location away but there a petrol refinery close by

[Pikey Dave]

Milford Haven then. I've eaten plenty of Scallops from around there & I'm still aliv.............................................. ...............................

[whisper]

I could cook them and feed em to Matth

[PeterM]

Originally Posted by whisper

I could cook them and feed em to Matth

I know he is up for most things..but never thought he was a bottom feeder.....

Aaaanyhow....I'd not eat them from where your are thinking...have you thought of catching lobsters instead?....haha haha haha...

[whisper]

Originally Posted by PeterM

have you thought of catching lobsters instead?....haha haha haha...

[SDGANDER]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Oysters are, at least the farmed ones. I think only Falmouth & Mersea dredge for natives.

And Chichester harbour.

W.

[AJ.]

Originally Posted by whisper

I could cook them and feed em to Matth

Still don't think it will slow him down!

[willk]

Mussels and Oysters don't actually feed on sh1t, they eat plankton. Plankton feed on sh1t, or the nutrients therein. However, shellfish certainly SWALLOW a lot of sh1t, as they filter gallons of water every day. Some of the bacteria and viruses and other contaminants lodge in the shellfish. I believe an oyster virus did for Michael Winner, so it's not all bad. Red tides are unusually high concentrations of particular phyto-plankton. Read this, scroll down to the Discovery section - horrible!

Commercial shellfish farms are tested for red tide contaminants and other pollutants. The fish are also all quite young and this must help. When the fish are harvested, they undergo purification to reduce the levels of bacteria etc in them.

There is NO WAY I'd touch a mussel or oyster from an industrialised or over populated area (i.e. England)