DESCRIPTION
The mussel sector with 3,337 floating nurseries (Bateos), directly creates some 11,500 jobs (8,500 of which are permanent) and indirectly creates 7,000 others and has an annual turnover which varies between 15,000 and 18,000 million pesetas, representing a very important industry in the present and future economy of the Galician community.  But its socioeconomic significance is also gauged by the multiplying effect derived from the distribution of income generated by this activity.  As a result, the mussel industry has a decisive influence on the economy, on employment and above all on the future development of some areas of the Galician estuaries. 

HISTORY
Galicia’s link with molluscs and specifically with the mussel is indisputable.  Since its first inhabitants took advantage of the low tides to get themselves a rich seafood menu, things have changed greatly. No longer is the harvesting of mussels a simple process, Galicia has become a leading cultivator of mussels in the world of aquaculture and this industry forms a mainstay of the economy for many coastal boroughs.

The history of this cultivation can be seen to have began in the middle of the 18^th Century when marinating the Galician oysters was at its peak.  The Alderman of Santiago de Compostela, Don José Cornide Saavedra, speaking about the mussel, declared that “its meat is second only to the oyster”.  At that time, cultivation didn’t exist in any strict sense, the mussel came from certain parks or zones and were subject to the permission of some families.

Mussel cultivation continued to grow and to gain importance; in the 19th Century the first experiments of cultivation were carried out. Don Paz Granells says that in Carril (estuary of Arousa) in 1896 the shellfish gatherers turned the old oyster beds into mussel beds.

During the first decades of the 20th Century efforts intensified to try to establish a stable cultivation in enclosures or on posts.  But it wasn’t until the 1940s when the real development of the Galician miticulture began.  When Señor Ozores Saavedra, Lord of Rubianes y Marquis of Aranda, who owned "Viveros del Rial" spent time attempting to raise mussels on posts, he changed his approach and decided to try to cultivate mussels by floating them.

In the estuary of Arousa in 1945 the first floating nursery was anchored; this first prototype had a sole float which was cube shaped and made from wood, this supported a framework, also made from wood, where a few metres of esparto grass rope were hung.  The results achieved by this pioneer of Galician miticulture were so encouraging that in the following year 10 floating nurseries were anchored in the jetty at the port of Vilagarcía de Arousa.

The next decade was a period of expansion for Galician miticulture, in 1949 nurseries were anchored in the estuary at Vigo; in 1954 they extended to Cambados, O Grove, Bueu, Redondela and Pobra do Caramiñal; in 1955 nurseries were anchored at Sada and finally in 1956 they reached the estuary at Muros.

During these years structures and working methods continually changed.  The wooden crates were covered with cement to prolong their life, the size of the framework increased because of straps of metal cable which helped to support the structure, some producers adapted old boat hulls and floated them, the esparto grass ropes were replaced by nylon ones.

Today in the estuary waters of Galicia there are more than 3,300 floating nurseries anchored which are dedicated to the cultivation of mussels, and these make our community an aquatic power on the worldwide stage.