Performance of the Cultured Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamark 1819) after Summer Post-Harvest Reimmersion

John A. Theodorou (1) , Benjamin-Stewart Leech (2) , Costas Perdikaris , Claire Hellio (3) , George Katselis (1)

1 Technological Educational Institute of Messolonghi [Messolonghi]
2 University of Portsmouth
3 LEMAR - Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR)

Post-harvesting, handling and storage practices, particularly during the summer months, are crucial for mussel farms, as they induce stress, mortalities and affect overall performance and marketability. In the current work, Mediterranean farmed mussels, were stored into plastic net bags of different weights (7.5kg, 10 kg, 12.5 kg and 15 kg) and reimmersed into the farm sea water during summer 2012. The experiment was conducted under warm summer conditions in Mediterranean waters with temperature levels close to the upper tolerance limits of the mussels (28 degrees C). Mortality rates and condition index (CI) were calculated in all mussel bags at four sampling dates over a 46 days period. It is concluded that mussels graded-packed on bags (7.5-15 kg) could be preserved underwater for 25 days of re-immersion without significant mortality and CI losses.

Mots clés: ACL; edulis l.; Summer mortality; Mytilus galloprovincialis; temperature; crassostrea-gigas thunberg; pacific oysters; air exposure; Biofouling; condition index; lysosomal membrane stability; maliakos gulf; Mediterranean mussel farming; Post-harvest re-immersion; red retention assay; stress-response indicator

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie

John A. Theodorou, Benjamin-Stewart Leech, Costas Perdikaris, Claire Hellio, George Katselis. Performance of the Cultured Mediterranean Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamark 1819) after Summer Post-Harvest Reimmersion. Turkish Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 2019, 19 (3), pp.221-229. ⟨10.4194/1303-2712-v19_3_05⟩. ⟨hal-02920506⟩