August 19, 1962 - MusselsMussels
Exclusive Sunday Review Sketch by Judd Bennett of East Marion.
Focus
on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh, Cutchogue
By JUDD BENNETT
The Mussel grows in thick glis-
tening clusters where the tides
drop and rise, cover and expase
the coastal shores.
In spite of their being the hum-
blest of the bivalves, when con-
sidered for structure alone, Mus-
sels are of more than a little in-
terest. These blue- black, two -shel-
led, molluscs are dwellers of the
tidal eas and in waters of Long
Island they thrive to become big,
common and plentiful.
In a rundown of the better.
know related bivalves one
should start with the Clam, per-
haps the best liked and cher-
ished although Oysters and Scal-
lops rank only a notch below.
MusseIs are by no means a fav-
ored food in this country. Unlike
Europeans only a few gather
and prepare there rich and tasty
bits of seafood. Europe unfortu-
nately does not have the succu-
lent Clam and perhaps for that
reason the Mussel is considered
an equal or something even bet-
ter:
For the Mussel to be of much
Personal concern would take a
dedicated and eager fish!ng man
needing good bait or a person
equally dedicated and e a g e r a-
bout good eating. The cooking, of
Mussel's in the French and Itali-
an way is treating with care a
treasured bit of food from the
sea.
Mussels abound most every-
where in clusters growing thickly
on the patterned marsh -runs and
muds of those banks, on the jet-
ties, on the base rocks in the
land- guarded bays and on the;
but partly, covered and submerg-
ed bolders resting ponderously on
great gravel beds along the coast-
al rim. .In .Atlantic waters the
edible Mussels occur northward
from North Carolina and is the
very same species abundant in
Europe. However, the Edible spe-
cies has a :.light but real split
down the ranks for some of them
no longer are in salt water but
live as well in fresh.
To visit aba y beach at lowest
tide on a 'bright and quiet day is
a stimulation but to al o find
and follow the ever- moving Plov-
ers, Sandpipers and Turnstones
enhances the pleasure. Here is a
glimpse of but part of tliat spec-
ial shore -boun It i, dur-
ing late' surrirr�e the Shore-
birds, visiting t flats, fatten
themselves on the young seed-
ling bivalves. This is often right
in the midst of massed Mussel
beds. The contrasts goring to
mind are striking. For`�bfte one
type of,animal is ancj§rW and
travel's not at all while others
such as the Plover is free to be
one of the greatest travelers go-
img amazing distances yearly.
Even if individually the Mussel
travels not at all or but a few
inches their kind are everywhere
in varied form -, the world over.
For a Long Islander it is but
a shoat few miles to parcels
where Mussels are found. For the
Plover it is part of a journey of
many miles. These Shorebirds
are visitors on a casual stop -over
for, food while looping extrava-
gantly up and down the two con-
tinents.
But as a little exception t o
what we have mentioned, t he
Mussel does have a brief travel-
ing period when an extremely
tiny bivalve. It is a limited and
uncertain freedom. The b a b y
Mussel does not 'hatch from an
egg floating in the water but s
born as a very volnerable free -
swimmer. They soon find some
direct help from a fiEh by hook-
ing on to them and riding as
hitch hikers. After this ride a-
round attached to fluttering and
working gilds they let go, sink
and settle almost at once to be-
come fastened to a permanent
surface for the remainder of their
life.
This is for the salt water only.
In fresh water, of quiet ponds,
lakes and rivers the Mussel has
a restricted but un- anchored life.
With but few exceptions not many
animals deliberately become im-
mobile where pure chance brings
their food to them. This marine
bivalve does just that.
T h e salt water. Mussel c a n
flourish while on flats water-
flooded at high tide time in areas
similiarily favoraible to the Clam,
the Oy_ter, the Scallop and the
Cockle all being closely related.
In the marine Mussel the body
is almond - shaped like the shell
and i-,, compressed and encased
in a skeletal hinged shell fortress.
Thjs fortress shape is varied a
bit now and them, by the pres-
eure of crowding. Not all are ex-
actly alike. Theme are oddities all
sorts in this unique animal. The
unusual seems to be the rule.
The oddness about the body of an
Edible Mussel .includes the ex-
tremely under - developed head,
the lack of tenacles or even
eyes, when the Scallop has so
many, the Iack of salivary glands
in the mouth which has not even
a hint of a horny jaw, the lack
of gills of normal form, and the
lack of one heart auricle. The
nervous system is but sim-
plified ganglia based partly in
the head, the digestive tract and
the foot. That' they can smell or
hear is but doubtful.
When the Mussel is tiny a fold
in the body wall has a crease
from which a limy sub tance is
secreted and the two shells then
grow from these edges. ,The shell
has to gradually increase, some-
times to over ;,ix inches, as the
soft defenseless body inside fat -
tens. One strong muscle, like that
of the Scallop, hol<W all this
e:trangeness together to make cne
tough little bivalve stout and a;!e-
quate enough to withstand many
enemies. The chubby healthy and
smart racoon fails to open a sea -
nourished Mussel.
Once this big and important
shell- clamping muscle is relaxed
the valves held by an elastic
compressed hinge fly open. Or-
dinarily the juicy body fills the
shell as if it were uncomfortably
two• sizes too Emall. The foot is
the largest of the squeezed - in
parts. —
Minute plants and animals pro-
vide food when ladened waters
stream by and allow them to be
wafted into the soft mouth. It its
thought that the Mussel provides,
in part, for winter by acquiring
a compacted crystalline s t o r e
made of foods gathered and con-
centrated during the days of Aut-
umn.
The reproductive potential is
is fantastic. During September
Mussels begin this parental stint.
Vast numbers already hatched
are spewn forth to dim the wat-
er. At first the produced eggs
are retained a short spell in the
gills for growing into minute
creatures having only very deli-
cate v a l v e s from which the
"Iife,mving" hooks for the hitch
hike ride and the thread -like an-
chor ropes grow. When all this is
achieved out they go into the
dangerous water- world.
The anchor ropes will become
the threads used in the hitch
hike on the gills of a fish until
time and development allow them
to become large enough to find
a permanent spot all their own.
Competition is very great. Few
live to the <_ize-we might seek as
bait or for a feast. Parental cirre
is non - existant. They take .
chance as they come and come
they do, sometimes in the form
of an alighting flock of hungry
and efficient wildfowl. Such num-
bers start out that every spot not
taken is within a weeks literally
c o v e r e d witth hundred; to a
square foot.
A balance of sorts comes slow-
ly and surely for somehow this
stunning fertility is toned down.
The Mus el grows a bundle of
tough threads or beard called
correctly a byssus for clinging to.
submerged surfaces where the
force of running water must in
some way be overcome.
When you go after Mus cls you
will meet the byssus. It is not
too difficult to gather them but
itwdl be work. You will find out
how strong and tough these -
thread -ropes are and, what a
chore it is to rid shells of them
before or after ,teaming. T he
beards from a Mediterranean
"Pinna" Mussel are gathered by
the thrifty and clever women of
those areas and knit into gloves
which are both Iustrous and siiky
and of a golden color.
These unusual glover; must be
a rarity on par with the equally
choice and delicious golden color-
ed broth. The orange colored
meats although a delicacy to
some few do rank below those
different seafoods most of us
like. This • dark - looking, blue-
black, delicately ribbed Edible
Mussel is one of the many gems
of the waters of the salt flats.
The Mussel makes pearls too.
On the shore with the Shore-
birds and the Mussel> one can
relax and enjoy the color splen-
dor and sparkle — the blare -
blacks, the slate -grays and the
darkened indigos of she ils from
the Mussel, when wet, and the
violet - blues, when dry, dead and
broken to bits strewn on the
bands of warm tans and pale=
tinted whites of a sandy shell-
laden. ed beach. Add to this t_'i4
wonder and colors of the Plover
plumage, also — the russet
browns, the blacks and whites of
the colorful harlequin pattern of
the Tuinstones and you have an
exciting, Picture — a glimpse to
be remembered when the dark
cold winter nights come whose.
early hints; .have sent the Plover
to Patagonia and the Mussel to
remain and await — in a cooling .
familiar anchorage.
Please send your field observa.
tions to Paul Stoutewburgh c/o
the Sunday Review, PO Box 720;
Riverhead, N, Y.