Add Turkey-based Çeşme Marina to the list of megayacht marinas intent on cleaning up the world’s waters. The 400-slip facility has launched what it calls The Mussel Project. Through this, it’s introducing more mollusks into its waters to help clean up pollution naturally.
Çeşme Marina, part of Camper & Nicholsons Marinas, is cooperating with a local university focused on marine sciences. Scientists and conservationists have long known that bivalves such as mussels, as well as oysters and clams, filter particulate matter from the water when feeding. Interestingly, while oysters filter more water, mussels grow more densely. In addition, they adapt to changeable weather and other conditions. Depending on the type of mussel and the conditions, they can further filter a few dozen gallons of water per day.
While The Mussel Project is in its early stages, Çeşme Marina has already secured 80 sacks of Mediterranean mussels along its docks (left). Researchers from the university plan to check heavy metals levels inside the mussels on a regular basis. In about a year, they’ll release an academic report, too.
Can Akaltan, general manager of Çeşme Marina, says The Mussel Project is a source of great pride. “If we can succeed, we will recommend this to all marinas,” he explains. “We continue to pioneer ecological clean-marina solutions with the hope to develop ‘greener marinas’ for the future.”
In fact, the project is just the latest “green” project for the marina. Last summer, Çeşme Marina won the Green Apple Award, a prestigious environmental honor, for growing olive trees on site. The marina even hosts an event wherein staff and their families can make olive oil from those trees. Both local residents and marina guests enjoy watching the staff harvests the olives, done with great fanfare. Turkish law protects olive trees, so the ones at Çeşme Marina will remain for years to come. The trees produce enough olives to ensure the local presser and bottler can produce oil to last a full year. The olive oil bears the marina’s own label, too. Even better, VIPs among Çeşme Marina’s guests get the olive oil as gifts.
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