"Live as though you'll die tomorrow, farm as though you'll live forever"

Blackshell Farm is a certified organic mussel farm based in Westport, Co. Mayo. We cultivate rope grown mussels in Clew Bay on the West coast of Ireland, and produce cotton mussel mesh, a biodegradable material that helps mussel growth.
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Protecting the marine environment is very important to us, and we do everything to minimise our impact on Clew Bay and the areas in which we work. We operate a zero-waste policy across our work sites and use materials – such as floats - made from recycled plastics. Where possible, we source second-hand parts for our machines and infrastructure. 

We recognise Clew Bay is a pristine natural resource and have developed sustainable growing methods and practices to protect this valuable environment for future generations. Our harvest methods mean that undersized mussels can be re-sown to reach full maturity. We do not use additives, treatments, fertilisers or pesticides on our organic mussels.

We are on a continuous drive for sustainability and are currently developing methods for more environmentally friendly production of mussel mesh. We are committed to reducing our diesel consumption on a consistent basis and have equipped our fleet with the most fuel-efficient engines possible. We are proud of our ability to produce a lot of protein for small amounts of diesel, producing 80 tonnes of mussels for every tonne of diesel consumed. 
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We have been awarded the Aquaculture, Environmental and Social Responsibility Award by BIM, Ireland's Seafood Development Agency.
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For an overview of our mussel farm, including packing and harvesting techniques, please watch our video below.