SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) with encrusting marine life, Sula Sgeir, Scotland. UK, July

Alex Hyde / Colony of Common Mussels (Mytilus edulis) growing on striated rock formation exposed at low tide. Cornwall, England, UK. Highly commended in the Coast and Marine Category of the British Wildlife Photo...

Alex Mustard / 2020VISION / Bed of Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) growing on rocks, feeding, Megavissey, Cornwall, UK, May.

Chris Shields / Illustration of Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis)

Nick Upton / Juvenile Edible crab (Cancer pagurus) among Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) in a rock pool with a Rock goby (Gobius paganellus) in the background, Gower Peninsula, Glamorgan, Wales, UK, August.

Nick Upton / Rock gobies (Gobius paganellus) and a juvenile Shore crab (Carcinus maenas) scavenging amongst Common Mussel shells (Mytilus edulis) in a rock pool, Gower Peninsula, Glamorgan, Wales, UK, August.

Orsolya Haarberg / Coastal rocks covered by Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) shells. Tomma Island, Helgeland Archipelago, Norway.

Nick Upton / Dense bed of Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed at low tide on rocks fringing a sandy beach, Godrevy, Cornwall, UK, April.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Yellow sun star (Solaster endeca) amongst Brittle stars (Ophiothrix fragilis) on a Horse mussel bed (Modiolus modiolus) Sheltand Islands, Scotland, UK, September.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Horse mussel bed (Modiolus modiolus) with Brittle stars (Ophiothrix fragilis),Edible crab (Cancer pagurus) and Northern sea urchin (Strongylocentrotus droebachiensis) Sheltand Islands, Scotland, UK, S...

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Horse mussels (Modiolus modiolus) with brittle stars (Ophiothrix fragilis), Shetland, Scotland, UK, August.

Nick Upton / Kelp fly (Fucellia maritima) on Mussel (Mytilus edulis) shell exposed at low tide. Treyarnon Bay, Cornwall, England, UK. September.

Philippe Clement / Common pied oystercatcher / Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) with blunt bill tip typical for mussel hammerers, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK, May

Ernie Janes / Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) flying on to mussel bed as tide recedes Norfolk, England, UK. November.

Werner Bollmann / Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) Vestvagoy, Norway, March 2012.

Sandra Bartocha / Blue Mussels (Mytilus edulis) Bohuslan Archipelago, Sweden, July 2015.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) bed with Brittlestars (Ophiothrix fragilis) and Edible crab (Cancer pagurus), Shetland, Scotland, UK, September.

SCOTLAND: The Big Picture / Horse mussel (Modiolus modiolus) bed with brittle stars and crabs, Shetland, Scotland, UK, September.

Alex Hyde / Acorn barnacle (Semibalanus balanoides) growing on shell of Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis), Isle of Skye, Scotland, April.

Alex Hyde / Pea Crab (Pinnotheres pisum) inside a Common Mussel (Mytilus edulis). This small crab parasitises a number of bivalve species including mussels, living in the host's mantle cavity. Normandy, France. J...

Nick Garbutt / Timber Wolves (Canis lupus) resting on a rock by the shoreline. Near Mussel Inlet, Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada, October.

Nick Garbutt / Timber Wolves (Canis lupus) resting on a rock by the shoreline. Near Mussel Inlet, Great Bear Rainforest, British Columbia, Canada, October.

Jean E. Roche / Reflections in water at mussel farm in the bay of Fos-sur-Mer, Camargue, France, September.

Jean E. Roche / Reflections in water at mussel farm in the bay of Fos-sur-Mer, Camargue, France, September.

Jean E. Roche / Reflections in water at mussel farm in the bay of Fos-sur-Mer, Camargue, France, September.

Nick Upton / Recenty settled young Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) alongside barnacle encrusted adults on rocks exposed on a rocky shore at low tide, Rhossili, The Gower Peninsula, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Trebarwith strand, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) dense colony attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Trebarwith strand, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) dense colony attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Trebarwith strand, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis), Dog Whelks (Nucella lapillus) and Common barnacles (Semibalanus balanoides) attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Rhossili, The Gower peninsula, Wales, UK, June.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) dense colony attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Trebarwith strand, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) attached to rocks exposed at low tide, Trebarwith strand, Cornwall, UK, April.

Nick Upton / Juvenile Herring gull (Larus argentatus) flying with a large Common mussel (Mytilus edulis) and some attached seaweed it has prised from rocks exposed at low tide, Cornwall, UK, April.

Toby Roxburgh / 2020VISION / Common mussels (Mytilus edulus) being cooked in a pan on a gas cooker, Dorset, England, UK, February 2011

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) Rye, New Hampshire, USA, January. meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) shell, Rye, New Hampshire, USA, September. meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Colony of Orange sheath tunicates (Botrylloides aureum) on Blue / Common mussel (Mytilus edulis). Rye, New Hampshire, USA, August. meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Pink hearted hydroid (Tubularia crocea) growing on Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Rye, New Hampshire, USA, August. meetyourneighbours.net project

MYN / Jerry Monkman / Pink hearted hydroid (Tubularia crocea) growing on Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Rye, New Hampshire, USA, August. meetyourneighbours.net project

Adrian Davies / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed at low tide, Devon, UK, August

Nick Upton / Common Mussels (Mytilus edulis) Dog Whelk (Nucella lapillus), Common limpet (Patella vulgata) and Montagu's stellate barnacles (Chthamalus montagui) exposed at low tide on rocks fringing a sandy beach...

Ernie Janes / Fisherman harvesting Common Mussels (Mytilus edulis) in Blakeney Harbour, Norfolk, UK

Ernie Janes / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) bagged up for market, collected from Norfolk coast, UK

Ernie Janes / Common mussel (Mytilus edulis) beds exposed at low tide, Hunstanton, Norfolk, UK, November

Philippe Clement / Bed of exposed Common / Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) on rock at low tide, Brittany, France

Simon Colmer / Bed of exposed Common / Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) on rocks at low tide, Cornwall, England, UK

Philippe Clement / Bristleworm (Scoloplos armiger) and Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) on beach, Belgium

Nick Upton / Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) exposed at low tide. North Cornwall, UK.