The farming of shellfish
Penn Cove in Coupeville becomes the most
prolific mussel-growing area in the state
by David Edwards

The convergence of water and several other factors make Coupeville the ideal location for the Penn Cove Shellfish Farm, which started up in 1975 and is currently managed by Ian Jefferds.
The hydrological and geographical features of Penn Cove make it the most prolific mussel-growing area in the state. The cove acts as a nutrient trap for outflows of the Skagit and Stillaguamish river systems. With the rain shadow provided by the Olympic Mountains, sunshine is more plentiful on Whidbey Island than in coastal areas farther west. The combination of sunlight and fresh, nutrient-laden water from the rivers turns Penn Cove into a veritable plankton soup for mussels.
“We raise two types of mussels in Penn Cove, those that are known as Penn Cove Mussels, and Mediterranean Mussels,” Jefferds said. “These are the only shellfish species we actually farm here. However, we have alliances with other Pacific Coast shellfish growers who provide the . . . oysters and Manila clams which we also sell.
“We began selling clams and oysters years ago, along with our mussels, when customers commented that they wished they could get clams and oysters as fresh as the mussels we sold them. Our motto here is, ‘Fresh From the Water - Not the Warehouse.’”
The Penn Cove Shellfish Farm began in 1975 with the establishment of Penn Cove Mussels Inc. After a career in the Army as a helicopter pilot and logistics officer, Jefferds’ father decided to go into the seafood business. He originally planned to grow, harvest and sell oysters, but he changed his mind when he realized the potential market for mussels.
“We then began looking for the best site to start a mussel farm in the Puget Sound, and a part of this search was by boat,” Jefferds said. “It was during one of those boat trips that we came into the port of Coupeville in Penn Cove for fuel. As luck would have it, it was during low tide when we arrived, and we noticed the pilings of the fuel dock as well as the exposed beaches were all covered in mussels. After fueling up, we toured Penn Cove and were amazed at the large numbers of mussels everywhere we looked: the docks, beaches and mooring lines we saw were solid mats of mussels.
“Other than the numerous mussels here, the benefits which Penn Cove had to offer our family for starting a mussel farm were enhanced by the proximity of a marketplace in Seattle, the proximity of the naval air station for retired military (personnel) benefits, good schools in Coupeville, and a great group of people.”
Penn Cove Shellfish treats visitors to a firsthand glimpse of the operations, many of whom show up out of sheer curiosity. Learning about the cultivation of shellfish can be quite fascinating. In general, mussels are ready for harvest when they are about a year old, although some can require a growing time as long as 14 months. At Penn Cove, harvesting begins early in the morning and takes place Sunday through Thursday throughout the year. On those days, a crew of between eight and ten puts out to the cove in the farm’s harvest barge, the Moule Mariner. The harvested mussels eventually reach a size of six to seven centimeters, and when that happens, they are considered ready for market.
The company then sells the mussels wholesale to shellfish buyers in restaurants, retail stores and markets, and other seafood distributors both regionally and across the country, as well as overseas. It also offers overnight shipments through an online gourmet food company — Farm-2-Market, www.f2m.com — so retail customers outside the local region can purchase the company’s products.
In 1996, Penn Cove Mussels Inc. entered into a joint venture with the country’s largest oyster farm, Coast Seafoods Company. That resulted in the formation of a limited-liability company, Penn Cove Shellfish. Mussel farming operations in Penn Cove have advanced steadily, and 2006 will be the ten-year mark for the joint partnership.
Interestingly enough, many inhabitants of Whidbey Island don’t realize that Penn Cove is home to the oldest and largest commercial mussel farm in the United States. Nor do many islanders know that mussels raised in Coupeville have won a variety of awards and international tasting competitions.
“It is a curious thing that folks often can tell you more details about the place they last went on vacation than they can about their own home towns,” Jefferds said. “However, while there are still people on Whidbey Island that are unaware of what we do here, there are also many that are, and that number of people who are interested . . . continues to grow. Visitors learn about how we farm shellfish and they also learn about the hundreds of other shellfish growers . . . throughout the Puget Sound (who) make Washington the number-one source for farmed shellfish in the United States.”

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