Moving mussels: New insights into shellfish farming in the UK
Other Frozen Shellfish
Frozen Mussel
United Kingdom
Published Sep 23, 2022
Tridge summary
Researchers have identified how mussel larvae move—giving mussel and other shellfish farmers important insights into where and how to grow them.
Original content
The University of Stirling's Institute of Aquaculture used genetic testing of mussels at sample sites along Scotland's west coast combined with mathematical modeling to understand where mussels grow well—and it's all about the current.Ph.D. researcher Ana Corrochano-Fraile said, "Mussel growing has been a bit of a black box. The larvae float in the water, we put ropes at sea and larvae appear there. If the stock goes down, we don't know why. If the quality goes down, we don't know why."Our model shows us how the larvae move in the currents, from south to north. We found that, in 30 days, a cloud of larvae can move from the Scottish border near Stranraer up to Islay, for example. They then attach to substrate—anything solid in the water, which could be ropes—and grow for one and a half years until they start reproducing. The next generation of larvae is carried on the current from Islay to the Outer Hebrides in 30 days—that's a lot further, because the current is faster there."For ...
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