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Seed Collection for Offshore Mussel Farms in RI and SNE

Seed Collection for Offshore Mussel Farms in RI and SNE. Cooperators – PI, Scott Lindell, MBL Woods Hole Bill Silkes , American Mussel Harvesters, Salt Water Farm Greg Mataronas , Mike Marchetti , Sakonnet Mussels Rick Karney , Alec Gale, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group.

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Seed Collection for Offshore Mussel Farms in RI and SNE

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  1. Seed Collection for Offshore Mussel Farms in RI and SNE Cooperators – • PI, Scott Lindell, MBL Woods Hole Bill Silkes, American Mussel Harvesters, Salt Water Farm Greg Mataronas, Mike Marchetti, Sakonnet Mussels Rick Karney, Alec Gale, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group. Rich Langan, Ken La Valley, UNH extension Dale Leavitt, Roger William University, extension and res. Scott Lindell, Director Scientific Aquaculture Program Marine Biological Laboratory Woods Hole, MA slindell@mbl.edu 508/289-1113

  2. Challenges of supply • Consistent seed supply important for consistent market • 1 meter of collector rope for every 2 meters of grow-out rope “rule of thumb” • Choosing best time to set out • Global weirdness making it less predictable • Can work with other aqua-gear for supply

  3. Mussel Seed • Best to collect local supply with spat collecting rope • $1.50/m for NZ rope, check out Bioprocess rope, or use old potwarp • Spatfall in March - June and again in Fall • Once lines established, one-half or more of seed needed can be recovered as overset when grading market mussels. • Seed grading is an important process for uniform product MARINE BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY

  4. Types of seed collectors Rhode Island made! UNH collector New Zealand Xmas tree Spanish ropes

  5. Collecting mussel seed Seed grew at 5 to 6mm/month in Menemsha Pond March 2012 October 2012

  6. Seed Quality Bottom vs. rope collected Clumped Declumped and graded

  7. Preliminary MBL hatchery trials • Wound up rope in tank set up 1 to 3 mm spat in 2 months Planted in May. December seed > 20mm >3mm/month growth rate

  8. Coir rope as a “temporary” attachment platform prior to socking

  9. Closed or "Restricted" Waters • Most classifications are due to bacterial contamination (fecal coliform) not "poisonous or deleterious substances" • Studies support depuration times as short as 2 weeks at temperatures above 50 degrees F. • Most regulators want to ensure time/temperature regimen of one month at 50 degrees F. • Most States allow for 6-month depuration time (simply to cover all species and times of the year). • RI currently imposes 12-month depuration time (to allow opportunity for relayed shellfish to spawn).

  10. Closed Waters and Mussels • Mussel seed can be scarce resource - best collected in water column on "collectors". • Closed waters are good location for collecting seed - doesn't interfere with other shellfishing or approved growing use • Mussels are some of the best filterers even at low temperatures so successful depuration is short. • Reducing relay and depuration time for mussel seed to 6-months or less makes good biological and economic sense.

  11. Acknowledgements • Funding from Rhode Island Sea Grant, and Northeast Regional Aquaculture Center Research Assistants – Emma Green Beach and Bill Rathjen • MBL Interns: Hilary Ranson, Molly Peach, Morgan Beals, CharlottaJornlid

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