Story by Katrina Radach, Washington Sea Grant Marine Policy Fellow, and photos by Courtney Baxter, Conservation Coordinator for Puget Sound

Do you think the Pacific Northwest means dreary cold rain? YES! And it also means delicious fresh seafood!

Some of our team members got up close and personal with the seafood at a tour of Penn Cove Shellfish Farm this fall.

Nature Conservancy staff visited Penn Cove Shellfish Farm

Besides bringing deliciousness, mussels, oysters and clams have a big impact on the environment. At Penn Cove, millions of mussels filter billions of gallons of seawater in this Coupeville farm. An adult mussel filters about 15 gallons of water a day, and this little farm has between 900-2500 lines of mussels on each of their many mussel rafts (that’s a lot of mussels AND filtered water!)

Tim Jones pulls up a string of mussels at Penn Cove Shellfish Farm.

Penn Cove raises these mussels from their seeds to harvestable size, which takes about 12-14 months. At any given time that you visit, you’ll find different sizes and ages of mussels, depending on which mussel raft you visit.

Speaking of mussel rafts, we saw several seals attempting to sleep/sunbathe/look incredibly adorable on each mussel raft.

There was even a raft that looked on the verge of sinking due to all the seals laying on top of it. But these seals are no threat to mussel farming. Rather, ducks and birds are the largest pests, so Penn Cove installed nets around their rafts to prevent these waterfowl from pecking away at the harvest.

Perhaps one of the most interesting and admirable parts of this farm is that they only do day-of orders. This means that within 24 hours they receive orders, harvest the ordered amount of shellfish and distribute the products across the US. This ensures that none of their shellfish goes to waste and businesses have their needs met.

Penn Cove provided us with a unique opportunity to dig a little deeper about the connection between aquaculture, business and the environment. Thank you to Penn Cove for a great opportunity to experience local aquaculture! There is no better way to learn than getting involved with our communities.

Learn More About Our Aquaculture Work

Jun 8, 2021

Oysters to the Rescue

Jun 8, 2021

Oyster farming not only provides jobs in rural communities, but oysters themselves provide habitat for marine life and improve environmental quality by filtering water. So, if native oysters were no longer headed to restaurants, could they be purchased and used for restoring coastal habitats? This question led TNC and Pew Charitable Trusts develop the Supporting Oyster Aquaculture and Restoration (SOAR) initiative to purchase native oysters from shellfish growers to support the industry during this difficult time while also supporting local restoration efforts. The goal was to purchase and transfer 5 million native oysters from farm to tidelands on the East Coast and in Washington State.

Jun 8, 2021

Dec 14, 2018

Millions of Mussels Keep Puget Sound Clean

Dec 14, 2018

Besides bringing deliciousness, mussels, oysters and clams have a big impact on the environment. At Penn Cove, millions of mussels filter billions of gallons of seawater in a Coupeville farm.

Dec 14, 2018

Apr 27, 2018

Shellfish Growers Bring Pearls of Wisdom to Combatting Climate Change

Apr 27, 2018

We celebrate oysters and tackle climate change along the Hood Canal.

Apr 27, 2018

Apr 19, 2018

Aw, shucks: This week, shellfish get their due

Apr 19, 2018

We're celebrating Washington Shellfish Week! Learn why they're important for our economy and environment.

Apr 19, 2018

Mar 19, 2018

Shellfish Growers Join Action on Climate Change

Mar 19, 2018

We are pleased to announce the Shellfish Growers Climate Coalition, a partnership with shellfish growers on both the East Coast and the West Coast to chart a course toward climate action and a low-carbon future.

Mar 19, 2018