The northeastern coast of Maine is referred to as “Downeast”, because the wind-direction carried merchant ships in that direction. Mussel populations in this region predominantly live in soft-sediment (mud), and are isolated from each other by fjords/embayments. The separation of these populations can lead to different dynamics (spawning times, mortality rates, settlement rates). Understanding how and why these dynamics differ is important because the Downeast region is home to one of the few remaining wild-harvest commercial mussel fisheries left in the United States.