About Us
The Victorian Shellfish Hatchery
The Victorian Shellfish hatchery was established in 2008 as a joint venture between the Victorian Government and the mussel farmers of Port Phillip Bay.
Operating from the Victorian Fisheries Authority site Queenscliff, our foundations were built on research with a strong industry focus.
Today, VSH remains on the same Queenscliff site, but we now operate as a successful independent company, producing mussels throughout the winter months and oysters during summer.
What do we do?
Nature isn’t always kind; this can make mussel and oyster production difficult.
The hatchery process removes nature from the equation to ensure the production of mussels and oysters all year round. We nurture the baby mussels and oysters (larvae) in purpose-built tanks for about 3 weeks.
What do we feed our larvae? We culture several types of microalgae on-site which gives our larvae all the nutrients they need to grow strong and make the best start in life. We do not rely on wild harvest to feed our larvae.
Our larvae are always raised in super-clean oceanic water. After 3 weeks the larvae turn into ‘spat’ which is just a tiny version of their adult form.
Life beyond the hatchery
When the spat leave the hatchery, they are sent to aquaculture farms to keep growing. As they grow, they continue to feed on wild microalgae (phytoplankton).
Phytoplankton are a group of very small aquatic plants that grow near the surface of oceans, bays, and estuaries.