Show Us Your Mussels – View Findings

Show Us Your Mussels - View Findings

You’ll see below details of the blue mussels found around the Forth of Forth so far. Thanks to everyone who has contributed. We’ll continue to share insights into this as more sightings come in. Headings with up / down arrows beside them can be used to sort the records.

N.B. exact blue mussel locations are not being publicly shared as we have had reports of them then being taken for food. Given their scarcity, we have taken the decision to leave their locations around the Forth private and just for our individual volunteers. We hope you understand. 

WHAT BLUE MUSSELS DID YOU FIND?
TYPE OF SURFACE WHERE YOU ARE REPORTING?
PHOTOGRAPHS - please upload any photographs you took (up to 3 photos per record)
ANY OTHER USEFUL INFO YOU CAN SHARE?
Date / Time
X - None
Rocky surface
No evidence of mussels
03/11/2024 09:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Artificial - sea wall surface
Only visible at very low tide, and a slippery surface to negotiate. Not ideal for monitoring, but possible with care. Hard to measure shells though, as well embedded between stones.
04/10/2024 11:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Rocky surface
23/10/2024 13:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Approximately 26 adults and millions of babies. Rocky outcrop less than 1 m in length. The adults range in size from 9cm largest to 5cm smallest
17/10/2024 10:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Cluster of adults with babies
18/10/2024 10:00
Bed of blue mussels (2M span or more)
Rocky surface
This rock is over 2m large. There is a line of baby mussel beds around most of it.
17/10/2024 09:00
Bed of blue mussels (2M span or more)
Rocky surface
Extensive beds of young mussels
18/10/2024 10:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Artificial - rope surface
There were clusters growing in the end of a metal pipe and all along it inland up to 56.20947N 2.95300W. These were the only large mussels we found at a very low tide. It is unlikely we will be able to monitor these
17/10/2024 09:00
Bed of blue mussels (2M span or more)
Rocky surface
These are exemples of baby mussels bed all over the rocks in this area.
17/10/2024 09:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Abundance of baby mussels on large boulder just below Crusoe Hotel. 2m by 1m area
04/09/2024
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Mixed colony of adult and baby mussels on a single rock
04/09/2024 10:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Additional WhatThreeWords for location: scope.twinkling.tailed
Approximately 50+ adults on rocky outcrop. Greater than 2m expanse of colony.
04/09/2024 09:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Juvenile colony on a single rock. Within a 500m wide spread of juvenile mussels
15/10/2024 08:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Massive bed of babies of different ages nothing big enough to measure. Bed is on a single rock
15/10/2024 08:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
Single rock on a bed of sand
15/10/2024 08:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Rocky surface
You will note from the date this is a retrospective photo from 2023.
I had noticed we had old mussels and babies but nothing in between. I took photos here in the latter part of 2023 until they disappeared in October.
My plan is to monitor this area again as there are new mussels on the rocks again- see further reports.
18/06/2023 09:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Rocky surface
Live mussels absent. Rocky substrate with many gullies, crevices etc looked like ideal mussel territory.
'Normal' sort of density of limpets and barnacles, some periwinkles.
Luxuriant growth of Acsophyllum seaweed, some mixed fucoids, mainly serratus on lower shore.
08/10/2024 10:00
Cluster of live blue mussels
Artificial - sea wall surface
3 mussels (small) about 3cm in length attached to harbour wall covered in seaweed
12/10/2024 13:00
Individual Live Mussel
Rocky surface
There were old half shells at two other locations on the upper shore at:
///matter.nags.knees
///joggers.backs.shadowing
10/10/2024 12:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Artificial - sea wall surface
No obvious locations for mussel beds. Nothing found on sea wall (the sea is very far away at this point). Some clusters of small rocks which were checked.
07/07/2024 11:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Sandy surface
Tyninghame beach which would be square 91 if assigned! Sandy beach and rocky shore comprising bedrock and boulders. Very few single mussel shells on the upper shore
13/09/2024 17:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Sandy surface
Also rocky shore including boulders and bedrock. A single blue mussel shell noted on the strandline
16/09/2024 16:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Sandy surface
Not much in this small harbour area at low tide.
30/08/2024 20:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Sandy surface
There were two areas close to each other which had a number of single unhinged shells.
ending.nicer.quits
sulk.unicorns.arriving
30/08/2024 20:00
Unhinged Dead blue mussel shell - (just one side)
Sandy surface
There were a few single unhinged shells on this small beach. Each location only had 1-2 shells so I have grouped them into this one entry.
nutrients.vented.badminton
bloomers.acrobatic.glorified
revise.outbid.beaten
copper.both.grad
cartoons.crimson.should
extreme.worthy.brisk
30/08/2024 20:00