Welcome to the Menai Oysters blog.January 2010The start of 2010 has been a little colder than normal and has correspondingly given us a few challenges. The sub zero temperatures have affected all the farm machinery. On a couple of days it was so cold that the diesel in the tractors began to solidify and the stored seawater became crusted with ice.
The cold is also affecting our purification systems in that we are now having to heat the water.
We normally have to chill the water to maintain our target temeperature, yet for the first time in years we have heaters in the water. It is still too cold to purify the oysters and as soon as the mussel systems can maintain their temperature we will move the heaters into the oyster tank. The oysters need a higher temperature than mussels, so it was decided to keep the mussels going at the expense of the oysters. Sorry.
Orders are a little lower than normal, as people stay in rather than go out. On the negative side that is less income, on the positive it is less hours working on the beach in the cold. Although to be fair once togged up in the waterproof clothing and getting stuck into the work you don't notice the cold. Its also a hell of a way to lose that extra christmas poundage.