Byssus - sea silk

I was reading about byssus, the sea-silk woven from the byssus filaments produced by the mussel Pinna nobilis, now only woven in the traditional way by one woman in Italy for educational purposes only. So of course started looking into whether anyone was (a) synthesising the stuff and (b) whether other shellfish also produced byssus that would be usable for textile purposes. And no surprise, there's a lot of interest, since shellfish byssus (which they use to attach themselves to rock or seabed) has all sorts of potentially useful properties.

For my specific interests, this French company, Bysco, seems the most hopeful, since it's producing thread for industrial and technical fabrics from the byssi of farmed edible mussels (Pinna nobilis is technically edible too but it is highly endangered and a protected species under EU law).

https://lampoonmagazine.com/article/2023/11/06/french-start-up-bysco-bio-based-textile-material-byssus-fiber/

And here is some interesting research into the bio-mechanical properties of Pinna nobilis byssus itself. Much too technical for my level of knowledge, but the conclusion that the byssus evolved separately in different mussel species is very interesting.

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2019/sm/c9sm01830a


Apparently the proteins from byssus are used to synthesise spider silk too.

https://scitechdaily.com/the-future-of-sustainable-clothing-new-breakthrough-in-synthetic-spider-silk-fabrication/

https://boltthreads.com/technology/microsilk/


I do hope that Bysco or some company in the same line does eventually succeed in either industrialising byssus as a fashion fibre, or even in synthesising it directly. Artisanal traditions are good to preserve, to be sure, but it would be fun have a dress that started out as moules marinières.