Meet the fishermen: Marvin, Shetland mussels

Marvin Thomason is a mussel fisherman from the island of Yell, in the Shetland Islands. It’s a family business, working alongside his younger brother, Christopher.

As skipper, Marvin manages the fishing and the crew, while his brother Christopher manages the packing and shore side of the business.

Marvin goes out fishing in all weathers, so that the mussels that we all love, still end up on our plates. Luckily for him, it’s not a long commute to work, as his home overlooks his mussel lines.

“We employ 12 staff. It’s not a large number but for a small village in Shetland, it’s important,” says Marvin.

Mussel magic

Out on the water, Marvin is explaining how to grow the perfect mussel: “We lose nothing,” he says. “It’s a very skilled job, but it is exactly how we did it twenty years ago.

There are not many things when man gets involved where you can make mother nature better but mussels are a rare exception. We give the mussels a home. In nature, they grow on the seabed, but hanging on the ropes in the water, there are no predators and they seem to sense that and put their energy into growing. They become much bigger than on the seabed. Three years is the perfect size. After that, they become bigger and uglier!”

The crystal-clear waters are a paradise for the mussels to grow, allowing them to thrive. As part of their MSC certification, Marvin and Christopher ensure that their fishing does not damage the environment. This not only protects natural ecology for future generations, but also safeguards the industry.

What does it take to harvest sustainable mussels?

To learn more about what it takes to put MSC certified Shetland mussels on your plate, watch a day in the life of Christopher and Marvin harvesting mussels in Shetland’s pristine waters and read how mussels sustain the Shetland community.