Mussel by Britney Wagner

NOT MUSCLE!

 Blue mussels consist of a group of three closely related taxa, a.k.a. the Mytilus edulis complex  Mytilus edulis – native to the North Atlantic  Mytilus galloprovincialis – native to the Mediterranean, Western Europe, and parts of the Southern Hemisphere  Mytilus trossulus – native to the North Pacific, northern parts of the North Atlantic, and the Baltic Sea The Mytilus edulis complex

 China and Spain lead worldwide mussel production  Growing in popularity in the U.S.  Mostly distributed around the U.S. from Maine  Typically $2-$4 per pound  Best time to get mussels is from October – May, before spawning  Very nutritious Economic importance

 The life cycle of a mussel starts with developing eggs inside the female  The female carries her eggs inside her shell in pouches called gills  The eggs then develop into glochidium, which are then set free to find a host fish  The glochidium then make themselves into a cyst, like a caterpillar forming a cocoon  After riding on their host fish for several weeks they then change into a tiny mussel, fall off the fish, then land on the bottom of the body of water where they grow into adults Life Cycle and Larval Stages

 Most cultured mussels are produced in less than 2 years  Hatchery production is based upon conditioning adult mussels by using algal food and temperature control  The natural maturation cycle is mimicked at the hatchery Reproduction In Captivity

 Mature mussels are cleaned up and hung as a group in larval tanks  Spawning is induced by thermal shock or by stripping  Takes 24-hrs for the larvae to reach the straight hinge stage  Larvae are fed and allowed to grow until they are ready to set onto ropes (13-15 days)  Deployed in setting tanks, the mussels are transferred at a 1 mm size to a nursery, where they will remain until they reach 6-10 mm  They are then moved outside into grow-out systems Methods Used

Mussel Farming

 Suspension feeders  Feed by actively filtering particles from the water  Feed on both living and dead phytoplankton, decomposed macrophytes, or resuspended detritus Feeding

 Blue mussels have the ability to withstand wide fluctuations in salinity, dryness, temperature, and oxygen tension ( euryhaline & eurythermal)  Do not thrive in salinities less than 15ppt  Well acclimated for water temperature from degrees Celsius, with a high tolerance of about 29 degrees Celsius for adults  Typically are found in intertidal habitats Environment

Advantages  Hard shell  Euryhaline  Eurythermal Disadvantages  Small  Can’t swim  Good source of unsaturated fatty acids for humans

ENJOY!