Condition and biochemical profile of blue mussels ( Mytilus edulis L.) cultured at different depths in a cold water coastal environment

Commercial Performance of Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis, L.) Stocks at a Microgeographic Scale

“…As already reported, cultured mussels suspended in offshore sites (BP) invest less energy in shell and byssus production than do mussels in lagoons [15], suggesting that more energy is available for soft tissue production. Contrary to the suggestion of Gallardi et al [12], the lower energetic investment in mussel shells cultivated in BP was not related to a less turbulent environment: Seguin-Heine et al [15] reported turbulence values < 1 J m −3 in HAM compared to 5 J m −3 in BP.…”

“…The authors reported that mussel shell weight was lower and meat yield higher in BP compared to HAM. Similarly, in another study in Notre Dame Bay (Newfoundland, Canada), Gallardi et al [12] observed higher shell weight in cultivated mussels suspended in shallow water (5 m) than in deep water (15 m). We suggest that specific conditions in the lagoon and offshore sites could induce differential energetic allocation strategies that explain the higher commercial productivity in BP.…”

“…Thus, potential stressful temperatures in HAM could decrease the efficiency of food assimilation, hence affecting growth and commercial performance, but more studies are necessary to clearly demonstrate this phenomenon. Furthermore, we did not analyze the nutritive value or the energy inputs, which could be different depending on culture conditions [12,79].…”

“…Worldwide, mussel culture development has occurred almost exclusively in protected near-shore waters [3,4] or in estuarine habitats [5,6], with off-bottom culture techniques using rafts, pole racks, and longline systems [7]. However, nearshore bivalve culture is severely constrained by space limitation and user conflicts [8,9], climate change and fluctuating environmental conditions [6,10], carrying capacity limits or other environmental concerns [4,11], and the need for improving mussel performance and productivity [8,12]. On the basis of several pilot projects conducted in different countries over more than a decade, the establishment of offshore suspended long-line mussel farms has been shown to be promising [4,[8][9][10]13] in areas like the Îles-de-la-Madeleine Archipelago (Gulf of St. Lawrence, Québec, Canada) [14,15].…”

Understanding scales of density-dependence to improve the use of resources in benthic mussel aquaculture

“…R 2 = 0.24, no significant differences. influence on mussels conditions, due to limited food availability and low temperatures typical from this time of the year, known factors to influence condition (Gallardi et al, 2017;Hawkins and Bayne, 1985). There was a some evidence of competitive effects, with mussels at higher covers displaying reduced fitness, particularly in the scenarios where flow was reduced by the fine mesh (McQuaid and Mostert, 2010, b).…”