Mussels
Blue Mussels Riders on the Storm
Blue mussels attached to rocks and other hard substrates by strong (and somewhat elastic) thread-like fibers called byssal threads.
This is a short story about a walk on the beach at Island Beach State Park on a warm day in late December a few years ago….
There was a storm the day before where the ocean waters were churned up and the waves were high.
Now calm, there was a line of seaweed at the high tide mark, an excellent place to look for shells and other gifts from the sea.
In with the surf clam, whelk, jingle shells and other debris were live blue mussels that have only been out of the water for a few hours.
Being in possession of a NJ Shellfish License about to expire at the end of the year it was logical to gather some up for Mussels Marinara.
Unfortunately, with light clothing and no bag to carry the mussels in getting the 150 limit was challenging. Pockets were filled and even some stuffed in socks was enough to make a meal.
Next was the process of cleaning and debearding (removing the byssal threads) in preparation for cooking.
Several mussels, as it turned out, were attached to a golf ball (image to the right)
How and why
It’s only a theory but here is a logical explanation …
A few years prior, someone on the beach with a bucket of golf balls and a 1-wood or sand wedge was driving balls into the ocean.
The balls remained on the bottom and because of their round shape remained in place in spite of water movement and ocean currents.
Over the years blue mussels attached themselves to what appeared to be a stable substrate.
Their light weight and firm attachment to their once stable home allowed the storm turned their lodgings into a “Mobile Home.”
Bruce Beveridge, Educator, Naturalist bruce@barnegatshellfish.org
