Victorian shellfish farmers mussel into more water in Port Phillip Bay

Lance Wiffen is continuing a family tradition of farming on the Bellarine Peninsula, but unlike his forebears, he does not work the land.

Whereas most farmers grow their produce in orchards and paddocks, Wiffen farms the sea producing many tonnes of shellfish every year.

Wiffen’s father and grandfather were both dairy farmers. He had initially planned to continue in their footsteps but instead bought a small scallop boat with his father in the 1970s.

By the time then-premier Jeff Kennett’s government banned scallop dredging in the early 1990s, Wiffen had begun mussel farming. He says mussels benefit the marine environment by acting as water filters.

“I started mussel farming not really knowing anything about conservation, but then luckily, we found out that what we’re doing is environmentally really good,” Wiffen said. “So we’re in a very sustainable industry.”

Now, the state government plans to boost Victoria’s annual mussel harvest by 700 tonnes, allocating an extra 290 hectares in Port Phillip Bay for shellfish farming. The expansion comes after the state produced 1700 tonnes of blue mussels valued at $6 million in the last financial year.

Wiffen is among the farmers who have taken up 18 sites in sections of Port Phillip Bay, including Kirk-Point Werribee, Pinnace Channel and Grassy Point.

The state government opened up the additional water for shellfish farming earlier this year. It said farmers could be harvesting mussels from the new sites by next year.

Wiffen started mussel farming on three hectares of water in 1986 and now farms about 200 hectares together with his son Shane. He said his operation harvests an average of 20 tonnes of mussels a week with the shellfish growing on ropes stretching a total of 300 kilometres.

Wiffen said the reputation of mussels from Portarlington, where his business is based, was growing steadily. “Portarlington mussels are now known around Australia and some parts of the world.”

He is also using some of the new water allocation to grow native angasi oysters, which were all but dredged out of existence in Victoria during the 1800s and early 1900s.

Wiffen described angasi oysters as more flavoursome, firm and less creamy than other varieties. “They’ve got more substance to them,” he said. “They’ve got more of a lingering flavour.”

Victorian-grown mussels are exported to markets across Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan and the Philippines, as well as to the Maldives. State government officials believe the expanded farming area will help that export industry grow.

Minister for Outdoor Recreation Steve Dimopoulos said Port Phillip’s blue mussels were among the best in the world.

“Mussels are healthy, versatile and can be packaged in a variety of ways,” he said. “That means you can pick them up at supermarket delis or your local fishmonger, and they remain fresh, delicious and affordable for Victorian families.”

Seafood Industry Australia chief executive Veronica Papacosta described oyster and mussel farming as “regenerative aquaculture” that benefited the marine environment.

She said Victoria’s seafood market could increase tourism particularly among visitors who wanted to feast on fresh produce by the water.

Port Phillip Bay ecology expert John Ford said historic oyster and scallop dredging had destroyed much of Port Phillip Bay’s hard surfaces beneath the water, resulting in vast quantities of silt on the sea floor.

“It’s a very changed environment and will require human intervention to get anywhere near where it used to be,” he said.

Ford said mussels and oysters acted as cleaners in the marine environment, helping to filter out nutrients introduced by humans into the water.

“Having more mussels and angasi oysters in the bay is increasing the number of species that are native and were present in much higher numbers in the past.”

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