Mussels

Biology and habitat

Species description of Mytilus edulis(1), Species description of Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)
Mussel is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs. Mytilus edulis (blue mussel) and Mytilus galloprovincialis (Mediterranean mussel) are the main species of the family of Mytilidae produced and consumed in the EU.

Geographical distribution and habitat of Mytilus edulis(1), Geographical distribution and habitat of Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)
Mussels are found in a wide variety of habitats, from tidal areas to fully submerged zones, with a broad range of temperatures and salinities.

Resource, exploitation and management

Production methods and fishing gears of Mytilus edulis(1), Production methods and fishing gears of Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)
In the wild, mussels are caught using dredges and trawls.
When farmed, mussels are produced using bottom culture techniques (sheltered beds) or suspended and off-bottom (rafts, bouchots, longlines).

Source: Information system on commercial designations Mytilus edulis(1), Information system on commercial designations Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)

Catches

Evolution of world catches

At global level, catches of mussels (mainly blue mussels, 45% of world mussels’ catches) amounted at circa 51.500 tonnes in 2023 (i.e. 0,1% of total global catches). The EU is the main producer globally (37% of the catches) in 2023.

Source: FAO

Evolution of EU catches

• In 2023, the EU catches of mussels amounted to 18.868 tonnes. .
• The same year, Denmark provided 93% of the EU catches and 34% of global catches of mussels.

Source: FAO

Aquaculture production

Evolution of world aquaculture production

• From 2014 to 2023, the global mussel’s aquaculture production remained stable (1%). It increased until 2018 before decreasing again, driven mainly by the decrease of the Chinese and Spanish production. China and Chile were the top-two producers. They provided 64% of the global production in 2023.
• Global mussel aquaculture production reached almost 2.000.000 tonnes in 2023, out of which Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis represented 11% (almost all produced in the EU).

Evolution of EU aquaculture production

• In 2023, the EU production reached over 360.500 tonnes, contributing to 19% of the global mussels’ production. The EU production of Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis reached 125.210 tonnes and 76.268 tonnes respectively. From 2014 to 2023, the EU production of mussels decreased by 18%.
• The top-three EU producers (Spain, France, and Italy) accounted for 73% of the EU production of mussels in 2023. Production of all top-three producers decreased between 2014 and 2023, respectively by 29%, 5%, and 16%.

Source: FAO

For Spain, data are reported under the statistical category ‘sea mussels nei’, which corresponds to Mytilus galloprovincialis and to lesser extent to Mytilus edulis. For UK, data are reported under the category Mytilidae.

Processing

• Traditionally, a large part of mussels is consumed live or fresh, while there has also been production of canned mussel (e.g. Spain). With the increase of frozen and prepared mussel imports, in recent years, the processing industry has opted for more added value products through a greater degree of processing, especially ready-to-eat products such as boiled mussels with and without shell (e.g. Ireland) and even processed dishes of fresh mussels in different sauces.
• There are no specific data on EU production of processed mussels at EU level. Data are available for Spain which is the main producer of processed mussel in the EU (mainly canned mussels). In 2023, it produced 10.931 tonnes of canned mussels (net weight) for a  value of over EUR 138 million (+3% in volume and -1% in value in comparison to 2023) (Source: Spanish association of canned fish: Asociación Nacional de Fabricantes de Conservas de Pescados, ANFACO).

Trade

Combined nomenclature Mytilus edulis(1), Combined nomenclature Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)

EU imports-exports (2024, EU-27)
Concerning the genus Mytilus, which is produced in EU, trade is mainly intra-EU. Extra-EU trade concerns other species than Mytilus spp.

EU trade of mussels (tonnes - 2024)

Extra-EU imports of mussels reached over 61.000 tonnes in 2024. These were constituted mostly by other mussels’ species than Mytilus spp. (i.e. Perna spp.)

• 86% of EU imports concerned preserved mussels (52.455 tonnes), which are imported from Chile. These imports have increased by 38% between 2015 and 2024.
• Only 8% of EU imports concerned live, fresh mussels in 2024, imported from the UK.
• Spain, France and Italy were the main importers in the EU (together they represented 77% of EU mussels’ imports in 2024).

Source: EUROSTAT-COMEXT

Extra-EU exports reached circa 6.100 tonnes in 2024. Mussels’ exports concerned mainly prepared and preserved mussels (52%) and live and fresh mussels (28%). Main destinations were United Kingdom (16% of the EU exports, in volume terms), Switzerland (14%), the USA (13%), Tunisia (10%), and Morocco (8%).

Spain, Italy, France, and Denmark were the main exporters, together they accounted for 75% of EU mussels’ exports in 2024.

Source: EUROSTAT-COMEXT

Supply balance

EU supply balance (2023) – Tonnes of live weight equivalent - Mussels:
Data concern Mytilus edulis, Mytilus galloprovincialis and other species of mussels 

Source: FAO/ EUROSTAT-COMEXT

Supply balance is provided for the year 2023 (trade data for 2023 were taken into account). Detailed trade data provided in the slides 5 and 6 concern the year 2024. 
The conversion factors were used to convert net weight of imports and exports of fishery and aquaculture products into live weight equivalents.

Prices along the supply chain (EUR/kg)

First-sale (wild)/ Ex-farm (farmed) - (live/fresh)
First-sale prices are presented  for the main producers in the EU : Denmark for wild blue mussel; Spain and Italy for farmed M. galloprovincialis and France and Netherlands for farmed M. edulis.

(*) From January to September 2025

Wholesale (fresh)
Wholesale prices are provided for the largest seafood wholesale market in the EU, Mercamadrid.

(*) From January to October 2025

Retail/consumption (fresh)
Retail prices refer to Denmark, France, Spain, Netherlands, and Italy (prices refer to Mytilus spp.).

(*) From January to September 2025

Extra-EU import (prepared/preserved from Chile)
Extra-EU imports concern prepared/preserved mussels (from species other than Mytilus spp.). The main importers were Spain, France, Italy and to lesser extent the Netherlands.

(*) From January to September 2025

Extra-EU export (fresh)
Extra-EU exports concern mainly fresh mussels of the species Mytilus spp. Main exporters are Ireland, Italy, Denmark and France.

(*) From January to September 2025

Marketing

National lists of commercial designations.

Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages Mytilus edulis(1), Information system on commercial designations and scientific names in all EU languages Mytilus galloprovincialis(2).

In the EU, there are three names protected under Protected Designations of Origin (PDO) and one name under Traditional Specialities Guaranteed (TSG) for fresh mussels. They are:

• PDO “Mejillón de Galicia; Mexillón de Galicia” in Spain;
• PDO “Moules de Bouchot de la Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel” in France;
• PDO “Cozza di Scardovari” in Italy;
• TSG “Moules de Bouchot” in France.

Consumption

Mussel (all species included) is the sixth most consumed species in the EU (source: The EU Fish Market – 2025 edition, EUMOFA

Mussel (all species included) apparent consumption per capita in 2022: 1,14 kg live weight equivalent (source: Supply balance - 2023, EUMOFA)

Apparent consumption of Mytilus spp in 2022: 0,85 kg live weight equivalent (source: Supply balance - 2023, EUMOFA)

Nutritional value (Blue mussel, Mediterranean mussel, nutrition values per serving 100 g) Mytilus edulis(1), Nutritional value (Blue mussel, Mediterranean mussel, nutrition values per serving 100 g) Mytilus galloprovincialis(2)