We’ve all had those childhood fantasies about what we’ll be when we grow up. For some, it’s an astronaut and for others, it’s a veterinarian. But for Matt Moretti, having grown up on the water, aquatic life and culture were always his passion. Now, years later and alongside his father, Matt owns Bangs Island Mussels, a hand-raised mussel farm located in Casco Bay, Maine. Take a boat and head just eight miles north of Casco Bay and you’ll come upon their mussel farm, decked out with 40’ x 40’ floating rafts with 400 lines falling directly into the chilly ocean water, suspended and waiting for mussels to grow.

Having gained his great love for the ocean from his father, Matt still holds him in high esteem to this day. Still a large part of his life both in and out of business, Matt has learned the most from his father’s views of the world and his pioneering efforts for aquaculture. In fact, hanging prominently in their shop where they process their mussels is a painting of Matt’s dad, a reminder that without those pioneers in aquaculture taking a chance and creating a framework and an example, Matt wouldn’t be where he is today.

With a profound respect for the ocean and a mission to remain completely sustainable, Matt’s knowledge of aquaculture is met with an almost reverence for the ocean and both the known and the unknown within it. “It’s like the last frontier,” Matt remarks. “The land is filled with people and stuff, but the ocean is our last unconquered area. You have to in some ways still fend for yourself.”

To see more from Bangs Island Mussels, follow them on Instagram: @bangsislandmussels

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