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Once hailed as top protein source, green mussels unsuitable for consumption
Green mussels are a common dish in eateries and recent news of pollution in Jakarta Bay has not put the cultivation and consumption of the mollusk to an end.
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Endi Suhaendi, a 28-year-old owner of a family green mussel cultivation business, checks the shelled mussels in Dadap village, Kosambi, Tangerang regency, Banten, on Jan. 23, 2024. Endi said his team had to go as far as Bidadari Island to find a clean enough environment to grow green mussels. (JP/Nur Janti)
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nder a tent surrounded by hills of shells, dozens of people were cleaning, shelling and boiling Perna viridis (green mussels), in Dadap village, Kosambi district, Tangerang regency, Banten, located on the west side of Jakarta Bay.
The smell of the ocean mixed with the acrid smell of the blackish Dadap River pervaded the air. Besides the smell, water pollution in the river and around Jakarta Bay affects the livelihoods of the fisherfolk.
Endi Suhaendi, a 28-year-old skipper who owns a family business, said dumped industrial waste often made it difficult for fishermen to harvest mussels near Jakarta Bay.
Endi, who owns three boats and employs seven fisherfolk to dive into the sea, said his team had to sail farther out until near Bidadari Island in Thousand Islands regency to harvest mussels, after three to six months of keeping the ropes suspended in the water to let young mussels attach.
"If our green mussels come into contact with factory waste, they fall off [the rope]. Especially if the waste has reached the seabed, oh my! They all die," Endi, who started fishing after graduating from elementary school, told The Jakarta Post.
"About a month ago, factory waste was dumped into the river and it spread into the sea, so we failed to harvest the mussels."
On Jan. 23, his team harvested about 200 buckets of mussels, which were then cleaned and processed by dozens of workers, mostly locals. Each bucket-load of green mussel was sold for Rp 12,000 (77 US cents).
