EXPERT TOPIC BLUE MUSSEL
BLUE MUSSEL EXPERT TOPIC Blue Mussel Expert Topic
by Vaughn Entwistle, Features Editor, International Aquafeed
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lue mussels are shellfish, and like all filter-feeders are extremely well suited to aquaculture. There is little to no risk of pollution or escape, and the effects to surrounding habitat from mussel farms are limited. These filter-feeders actually benefit the surrounding coastal waters by filtering them, and mussels don’t rely on wild fish or fishmeal for food. Diseases are extremely rare, so antibiotics and chemicals aren’t necessary. Because of their ease of cultivation, Mussels have been farmed for hundreds of years. There were reports of mussel cultivation in 13th century France, where mussels were grown on wooden stakes. Today, Europe’s coastal waters are home to the highest level of mussel production in the world. The two major methods of mussel farming are seabed cultivation and suspended cultivation.
Seabed cultivation
Seabed cultivation typically involves locating and fishing seed mussels of roughly 10mm length from offshore mussel beds and they re-laying them in a more productive and protected location. As soon as the mussels have matured, they are scraped from the seabed using a mussel dredging net.
Suspended Cultivation
In suspended culture, the mussels are cultivated on a system of ropes and floats where they grow until harvest 18 to 24 months later. Using this technique, no additional food is added to the water—mussel growth is dictated by the amount of plankton present in the seawater. Suspended cultivation employs three main farming techniques: 40 | August 2018 - International Aquafeed