2006 National Nicol Entrepreneurial Award Finalist

Acadia University

Hal’s Mussel Hatchery
Hal Montgomery

Hal’s Mussel Hatchery is a shellfish hatchery that will be located in St. Ann’s Bay, Nova Scotia. It is a hatchery to provide mussel farms with the seed (called spat) they use to grow full size mussels for sale. The business will produce two main products – diploids and triploids. Diploids are an ordinary type of blue mussel. Triploids have three sets of chromosomes and are infertile. Their infertility is beneficial to mussel farms because it allows them to sell mussels at a time when they would not ordinarily have stock, and triploids tend to grow faster which can speed inventory turnover and take pressure off working capital requirements.

Concept: using innovative biotechnology to reliably produce triploids, which have three sets of chromosomes and the advantages in growth and meat quality that are often conferred by their sterility. As a result shellfish farmers will be able to sell mussels when they would not normally be in stock while speeding inventory turnover to take pressure off working capital investments.

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