Jervis Bay’s clear waters are largely due to the joining of warm water from the East Australian Current and cooler water from the Bass Strait. With periodic upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich waters from the nearby Continental Shelf, these combined currents flow clockwise around the bay, completely flushing it out every 24 days or so.
Jervis Bay Mussels grow so well because they are in an exceptionally good paddock.
When these two contrasting currents collide, big eddies an up-wellings swirl against the coastline, triggering phenomenal activity right down the food chain. Microscopic plankton numbers, which mussels feed on, explode!
Antarctic Circumpolar Current — Cold currents act as a conveyor belt for nutrients normally locked in the frozen south.
