Venetian Lagoon Mussel Farming Between Tradition and Innovation
An Example of Changes in Perception and Multispecies Relations
abstract
In Venetian lagoon, mussels as a food, together with technical innovations and new knowledge for their exploitation, are a recent discovery. In the past, the lagoon’s fishers considered them inedible. The first mussel farming was launched in 1939 and mussels began a new process of rehabilitation. It is the beginning of a new relationship. Mussels turn themselves into delicate animals that need care and fishers develop new interactions with the other non-human components of the environment. A mutual relationship (or inter-agentivity) is created between mussel farmers and mussels, and it brings undeniable advantages to both species.
Keywords: Anthropomorphism • Environmental knowledge • Knowledge innovation • Inter-agentivity • Local ecological knowledge • Popular animal’s classification • Multispecies relations • Food acculturation • Mussel-farming • Venetian lagoon