Production Characteristics of Mitigation Mussel Culture

Description

Prior work has demonstrated that ‘mussel mitigation culture’ is an effective mechanism for the extraction of nutrients and can impact many aspects of local environmental conditions. As a countermeasure to nutrient enrichment, mussel mitigation culture is a potential management tool within the third management cycle of the Water Framework Directive. The present national production goal of 100K tons of blue mussels is anticipated to be directed mainly towards the marine feeds markets as an alternative protein source. Mussel production capacity is currently being tested in multiple estuaries around the country to assess mussel mitigation culture as a national and regional tool. Over two growing seasons (2017-2019), six test-line sites and three full-scale mitigation cultivation farms were monitored. As principle factors, linear density of settling material, vertical coverage, cultivation substrate, and relative position within the culture unit were analyzed for yield in terms of total biomass and condition. In the 2017 growth cycle, differing configurations of traditional long lines were tested, yielding ~1400 t per model farm in the Limfjorden. In 2018, different technologies were tested; preliminary results demonstrate capacities for exceeding 3000 t per model farm. In other tested estuaries, settlement and growth of mussels have been positive, suggesting mitigation culture can be applied as a nutrient management tool for many coastal waters.

Period	23 Jan 2019
Event title	Dansk Havforskermøde
Event type	Conference
Conference number	20
Location	Odense, Denmark
Degree of Recognition	National