Mussels are available all year round, however, mussels are at their best during the months that contain the letter “R”: - January - February - March - September - October - November - December This guidance was originally specified for oysters but then extended to all shellfish over time. This was because of the period of the “Red tide“, where the concentration of harmful algae is high and this makes consumption of shellfish dangerous at this time. This is no longer the case as red tide levels are closely monitored and shellfish are not harvested during this period. The best harvests of mussels between Autumn and Winter now stems from the belief that the Spring and Summer months are when the mussel population are regenerating.