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North Atlantic Shellfish Ltd. was established in 1994, when the company
established its first site for the growing of sizable quantities of blue
mussels for the markets of Northern Europe. The family-run company
now harvests finest quality Shetland Mussels from the pristine waters of
the North Atlantic Ocean on a regular basis. During the first year
of harvesting, from September 1999 – June 2000, 72 tonnes of mussels were
shipped to customers throughout the UK. Moving into this harvesting season,
the company now has a staff of six operating the harvesting equipment used to
clean, grade and package the mussels ready for shipment.
 The small island of Linga, in Vaila Sound, at sunset. Location The company is based in the village of Walls on the West Mainland of Shetland with the mussel culture sites located in some of the small bays, known in Shetland as voes. These voes provide good conditions for growing mussels in, as the sites are sheltered from the open ocean whilst maintaining a good tidal flow that brings with it the naturally occuring food that the mussels eat. Shetland has established itself as one of Europes leading aquacultural zones over the past two decades, building on a strong sea faring heritage and the fact that the cool, clear waters around the Shetland coasts are ideal for growing a number of fish and shellfish species. The establishment of such a sizeable aquacultural sector in the isles has given rise to many important advantages for the companies within it:
As a member of the Shetland Aquaculture community, North Atlantic Shellfish is fortunate to enjoy all these benefits which in turn helps us to provide the best possible service to all our customers. Facilities North Atlantic Shellfish was successful in securing an EU grant towards initial capital costs, which included a workboat, bulk handling equipment and also a modern grading, depurating and packaging shore facility that conforms to all relevant health and safety standards for shellfish preparation.
 Harvesting the first batch of mussels in the year 2000/2001 season. From left to right, the washer, grader and sorting belt processes are shown. This investment means the company is well situated to handle sizeable orders throughout the harvesting season which runs from August/September through to June/July. The location of our harvesting facility close to the culture sites means that transport times are kept to a minimum and mussels can be harvested in all but the most violent of Shetland storms. |
