The mussels are farmed using rafts, which is a new method developed by Kristján Ingi Dadason.
The rafts float on the surface of the ocean and are of color matching well to the color of the ocean surface. Mussel larvae attach themselves to the culture lines under the raft, where they grow and thrive.
Each raft lies in the sea for two years or until the mussel is fully grown to market size.
The rafts are hoisted on board, where the mussels are unloaded into collection troughs and from there into storage containers filled with seawater. It is planned to harvest annually 4,000 rafts in the farm adding to 12,000 rafts in three years. A specially designed vessel is to be used.
The shell collected by the harvesting vessel is the quantity available for processing. As 27% yield is assumed 100 tons of shell from the sea will be 27 tons of finished product
Mussels growing in cold water such in Iceland need longer time to grow than those farmed in warm water such as in Denmark. In Denmark, it takes about nine months to grow, where as the growth period in Iceland is about two years. In Iceland, the muscle becomes bigger, firmer and tastier.
Once the shell has been removed from the rafts, they are laid down again in another location where the two-year breeding process begins again.
