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.

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

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

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

Michel Poinsignon / Bouchot mussels (Mytilus edulis) growing along ropes, Mont Saint Michel bay, Normandie, France. August.

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...

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.

Nick Upton / Broad-clawed porcelain crab (Porcellana platycheles) hiding in a rockpool among Mussels (Mytilus edulis) and Gutweed (Ulva / Enteromorpha intestinalis), near Falmouth, Cornwall, UK, August.

Nick Upton / Spiny comb starfish / Sand star (Astropecten irregularis), inspecting Common mussels (Mytilus edulis) after being washed into a rockpool during a storm, St.Bees, Cumbria, UK, July.

Ross Hoddinott / Dogwhelk (Nucella lapillus) feeding amongst a group of common mussels (Mytilus edulis) Sandymouth Bay, Cornwall, UK, November.

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 / Frilled anemone (Metridium senile) on Blue mussel (Mytilus edulis). Rye, New Hampshire, USA, August. 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 / Frilled anemone (Metridium senile) 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

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 / Washing out harvested Mussels (Mytilus edulis) at Stiffkey, Norfolk, UK, September

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

Alex Mustard / A Spiny Seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus) in a mussel bed (Mytilus edulis). Thau Lagoon, Montpellier, France, September.

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.

Philippe Clement / Collection of shells: Rayed trough shell (Mactra stultorum cinerea / Mactra corallina cinerea), Common oyster (Ostrea edulis), Scallop shell (Pecten jacobeus), Smooth cockle / Norway cockle (Laevicard...