AN EXCEPTIONAL ENVIRONMENT IN BRITTANY
The mussel-farming area on the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel covers 8 towns and villages of Ille-et-Vilaine, from Cancale to Cherrueix. This vast shoreline interacts with currents produced by the largest tidal range in France and the rivers which flow into the bay to create an exceptional environment for the production of Breton mussels.
Mussels from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel are farmed on 3.5m high poles known as ‘bouchots’ planted in the sea. Each pole has between 40 and 80 kilos of mussels. With 320,000 poles extending along 250km, annual production is around 10,000 tonnes of mussels, representing 20% of French production.
MUSSELS WITH PDO STATUS
‘Bouchot’ mussels from the Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel have enjoyed Protected Designation of Origin approval since 2011, which means that consumers are assured of the origin of the mussels, a generous proportion of meat, rigorous testing as well as product traceability.
To recognise them, check the health tag which should say « Moules de bouchot de la Baie du Mont-Saint-Michel » followed by the words « appellation d’origine protégée », the European PDO logo and the name of the producer.
The port of Vivier-sur-Mer remains the main production centre for Bay of Mont-Saint-Michel mussels with 45 PDO-approved farmers. The mussel season runs from June to March but summer is definitely the ideal time to eat them.
