ABSTRACT
Despite the recent expansion of the US market, current demand for mussels is weak. Real wholesale prices have declined substantially, suggesting that supply is growing faster than demand. This chapter describes the development and current status of the US blue mussel industry and some of the marketing issues it now faces. The chapter presents trends in world production and trade of mussels to provide a global perspective on the US market. It discusses the development of the US mussel industry along with trends in US production and trade and mussel aquaculture. Aquaculture of blue mussels in the United States, begun in Maine in 1973, has also increased substantially. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the US market for mussels was just beginning to be developed, aquaculturists marketed their product as distinct and far superior to the wild mussel, and therefore commanded a premium price.
