In Europe, more than 500,000 tons of mussels are produced annually as food, but the mussels also have another benefit. They filter the sea water.
For this reason, the Balearic Center for Oceanography has now launched a project in which mussels are to clean the water in the port of Palma. The shell mollusks were sunk into the sea in three cages, and in three months it will be checked whether the action has brought anything.
The mussels are said to pull bacteria, heavy metals, hydrocarbons and microplastics out of the sea in the harbor, where there is little water movement due to currents. They are said to be able to filter two liters of water per hour.
