Global mussel production amounts to about 2 million metric tons worth over $1 billion dollars and expanding exponentially, especially in the United States.

Catalina Sea Ranch will cultivate the Mediterranean mussel, which has been introduced to coastal marine environments throughout the world and is not considered a new invasive species. They are larger, faster growing and have greater meat content (50% vs. 35%) than the Blue mussel and are more tolerant to heat and salinity.

National Marine Fishery Service data show 33.7 million pounds of live farmed mussels imported into the United States during 2012 that were produced in foreign waters. The vast majority of these mussels (32.9 million pounds) were harvested from Prince Edward Island, Canada located over 3,500 miles away.

Catalina Sea Ranch is developing spawning and grow-out technologies for the native Purple Hinge Rock Scallop. This species of scallops blanket the legs of the nearby oil platforms and presents a prime market opportunity for “first to cultivate” this high-value shellfish for the billion dollar scallop industry.

1. •Americans annually import about 42 million pounds of mussels, or nearly 10 times what they produce.
   

1. •If California's population of 38 million would ultimately reach European mussel consumption of 4.4 pounds annually per capita, this would amount to over 160 million pounds.