Friend of the Sea announced certification of Frinsa’s canned products from Galician mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis). Frinsa del Noroeste is one of the largest canning companies in Spain, with annual turnover of 300 million Euros and employing an average of 1100 workers. Frinsa is also certified ISO 9001 and 14001, BRC, IFS and validated by EMAS.
The certification followed the successful audit of the Galician mussels production, which was found conforming to Friend of the Sea sustainability criteria. The audit, run by an independent international certification body, covered producers and processors supplying Frinsa, including Cocedero Barrañamar (member of OPMEGA producers association), Frigoamegrove S.L. (member of Amegrove), Federación de Mejilloneros de Arousa Norte and Amegrove Sociedad Cooperativa Gallega.
“Frinsa aims to have all its product range certified sustainable by Friend of the Sea,” states Mr Carregal, CEO of Frinsa. “We are enthusiastic of this first positive achievement. Consumers should know that Galician mussels are produced with very low impact and in a sustainable way. The Friend of the Sea logo will help us communicating this added value to our customers.”
Mytilus galloprovincialis is a local species abundant in the wild and not overfished. Mussels on farming platforms continue to produce eggs and reproduce. Seeds or “mejilla” are taken by collectors from the coastal rocks using simple scrapers. Rope traps are also hung from the trays to catch the larva. The Fisherman Association monitors collection activity and insures only targeted species are caught.
The juvenile mussels are secured to a rope, using a biodegradable rayon net which decomposes within a few days of being placed in the sea, until the growing mussels reach their commercial weight. Mussels in Galicia are farmed using “Batea” - a floating platform with max area of 500m2, made of eucalyptus beam fastened on top of 4 or 6 barrels - or floaters - anchored to the sea bed by means of concrete block called “muertos” (dead). A max of 500 ropes not more than 12 metres long are hung down into the water. Bateas float in the Galician bays, called ‘rias’.
The farming system does not disturb fishing activities. No by-catch occurs - the floating platforms even act as artificial reef aggregating wild life, mainly fish, birds and crustaceans. Mussels are farmed offshore without any feed, chemical treatments, GMO’s, hormones nor antibiotics. Floating platforms are not treated with antifouling paints. All shell waste is managed by companies who clean and calcinate it to obtain calcic carbonate for reuse in the building industry or as fertilizer in agriculture. Fuel consumption is much lower when compared to other aquaculture activities, as no feed is used and mussels are not shipped by air-freight. A growing part of the energy used by processing factories comes from renewable wind energy. New areas of production must obtain Government authorization and undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment. No new area has been authorized in the past several years.
Today in the estuary waters of Galicia there are more than 3,300 bateas, producing 300.000 mt, almost half of the EU production. In value terms, mussels account for over 10% of total canned seafood sales in Galicia and are the second biggest species category after tuna. The mussel sector directly creates some 11,500 jobs (8,500 of which are permanent) and indirectly creates 7,000 others.
The Galician mussel is a well–balanced, healthy food, rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. They are also low in cholesterol and promote healthy bone growth and muscle coordination. A dozen Galician Mussels equal 150g of meat, with 100g of mussels providing up to a quarter of the proteins an adult needs. |
