Harvesting Mussels In Ireland | National Geographic

[Music] Hi, I'm Katie and I'm Colleen, and we're the Chip Sisters.

Today, we're at Killer Yard, and we're learning how to harvest mussels in Ireland. [Music] Hilary Harper is a Ford located in the west of Ireland in Northern Connemara. Mussel farming started in Killary Harbour in the 1980s.

Situate on the majestic Killary Fjord is Killary Fewer Shellfish, a family-owned business. A fjord is classified as a narrow body of water with steep hills or mountains on three sides. [Music]

Heavy rainfall for that of the year brings all of the nutrients, which gives us a nice sweet taste for the mussels. [Music] The whole process takes two and a half years for harvesting time here. That is amazing!

And how far down? They're about eight meters deep. Wow! Before they're ready to cook, the mussels must first be put through an extensive cleaning and sorting process. These special machines clean seaweed, debris, and any unwelcome sea creatures from the mussels. [Music]

Of the 297 species of mussels, only 17 are edible entirely. [Music] [Music]