Mussels?

[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?

[wavelength]

we occasionally pick mussels off some new structures way way out in the middle of nowhere at low tide and they're fine BUT mussels are filter feeders and concentrate all the pollutants they have filtered from the surrounding water in their flesh. So if there is shite of any variety about then the mussels will be absolutely packed with shite. I don't know about the rust in particular but would be very, very wary of what nasties lurk in the water.

[Nos4r2]

Don't eat them out of the Solent.

[m chappelow]

In some areas & estuarys where its not permitted or monitored by the local port health authority or fisheries it could be a bit dodgy owing to them being bi- valve filter feeders ,
sewerage outfall / chemical toxins either man made or natural ones such as Red -tide algie blooms that can occur at certain times causing paralytic shellfish poisoning to humans ,

Think the rust would be the least of my worries on that one

[SDGANDER]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Don't eat them out of the Solent.

Used to be pretty good amounts (8 - 9 tons) commercially caught in the Owers area on a very regular basis...

SDG.

[tim griffin]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Don't eat them out of the Solent.

Do you know something the local Oyster- Whelk -Clam fishermen don't

Tim

[Pikey Dave]

Good mussels can usually be found under buoys & hanging in clumps off the mooring chains. We pick them off the beaches in Normandy, along with oysters that have escaped from the oyster farms & gone "Native" & attached themselves to the rocks. I'd always choose my area carefully, if the water looks sh1tty, it probably is. Avoid industrial/post industrial estuaries & similar, these can often have heavy metals in their sediments that can accumulate in the bodies of filter feeders.

[tonto]

Originally Posted by m chappelow

natural ones such as Red -tide algie blooms that can occur at certain times causing paralytic shellfish poisoning to humans ,

Which is why you should not eat shellfish unless there is an "R" in the month. Red tide/Algae blooms only occur in the warmer months, and in certain areas, but as a general rule if there is an "R" in the month it should be safe from PSP toxins, but then there is no knowing what else might be in the water

Just as a thought though, Being Bi valve feeders, if there is no Shite in the water then there is nothing for them to feed on? Hence the need to cook them well.

So where the water is very clean and very little sediment, then very few mussels.

Same for oysters etc. Think on that as that raw Oyster is sliding down!

[AJ.]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

if the water looks sh1tty, it probably is. Avoid industrial/post industrial estuaries & similar, these can often have heavy metals in their sediments that can accumulate in the bodies of filter feeders.

+ 1 not a chance in hell I would eat mussels out of the Solent especially the North Solent.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by tonto

if there is no Shite in the water then there is nothing for them to feed on?


Same for oysters etc. Think on that as that raw Oyster is sliding down!

Yeah, but there's shit & there's good shit... maaan

[whisper]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Yeah, but there's shit & there's good shit... maaan

these are in Southampton Water....

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by tim griffin

Do you know something the local Oyster- Whelk -Clam fishermen don't

Tim

Oysters, whelks and clams aren't covered/uncovered by the tide. All the crap that floats on the surface of the water will be going into the mussels that Whisper's thinking of.

I personally wouldn't eat them from anywhere with high volumes of water traffic like the Solent. I'll eat them from Normandy and Cornwall, but not anywhere like Poole or the Solent.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Nos4r2

Oysters, whelks and clams aren't covered/uncovered by the tide.

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

[Nos4r2]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

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

Good point, remind me not to eat them!

The way I see it is this. Look at all the scum and diesel etc you see floating in corners in harbours. That's a result of cumulative buildup in places where the crud doesn't disperse.

Shellfish are a place where the crud doesn't disperse too...

[HUMBER P4VWL]

some of the allegedly best mussels are farmed in the Menai Strait nr Anglesey, they even stopped the development of the Beumaris marina. This is an extremely tidal area in terms of height and flow. Yet I know for certain that many of the houses on the Welsh riviera from Menai to Beaumaris drain their sewage straight in to the strait. There are no main drains and they have no room for septic tanks. Go figure!

[kerny]

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

some of the allegedly best mussels are farmed in the Menai Strait nr Anglesey, they even stopped the development of the Beumaris marina. This is an extremely tidal area in terms of height and flow. Yet I know for certain that many of the houses on the Welsh riviera from Menai to Beaumaris drain their sewage straight in to the strait. There are no main drains and they have no room for septic tanks. Go figure!

Surly raw sewage would not be allowed directly into the straits as there would be an uproar from the "Greenies" also toilet paper sanitary towels etc would litter the waters and beaches and from what I have seen the Menai Straits appears to be reasonably clean.

[HUMBER P4VWL]

There was uproar but there's been a deferral as there's no solution at present. Even if they lay a main drain along the road all the houses are below and would need pits/pumps to get fluid up to it. Some (ours) have a septic with clean outflow to the water, most don't!

It's no different to boats at sea Steve, they just dump too. Every rag and stick and gin palace does it!

[willk]

Originally Posted by HUMBER P4VWL

It's no different to boats at sea Steve, they just dump too. Every rag and stick and gin palace does it!

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.

[m chappelow]

www.southern-ifca.gov.uk/

Regulations ect for the southern area looks like you cannot gather mussels between certain times with a minimum size of 50mm in some areas .

[HUMBER P4VWL]

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.

What i mean is that the result is no different to the rag and sticks that go up and down the area.