Characterizing the zone of influence downstream of longline mussel leases

Description

Cultivated bivalves can deplete available food resources faster than the ecosystem can replace them through primary production and tidal currents. In Prince Edward Island (PEI), phytoplankton depletion is now suspected in estuaries with intense mussel culture. In contrast to other parts of the world, there are no minimum partition requirements between mussel leases in PEI, and little is actually known about the zone of influence downstream of leases. This one-year research project proposes to characterize food particle depletion within this zone of influence and investigate to what extent the layout of mussel crop can modulate this zone. Predicting the zone of influence is relevant to the siting of new leases and to the development of bay management plans.

Findings

N/A

Publications

N/A

Program Name

Program for Aquaculture Regulatory Research (PARR)

Year(s)

2009 - 2010

Ecoregion(s)

Atlantic: Gulf of St. Lawrence, St. Lawrence Estuary

Principal Investigator(s)

Luc Comeau
Email: Luc.Comeau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca