PARR-2010-G-06
Management of husbandry practices to maintain water column environmental carrying capacity for bivalve culture

Bivalves have an extraordinary filtration capacity that enables them to extract suspended food particles from the water column.  Densely stocked bivalves can deplete available food particles faster than can be replaced through primary production and water renewal.  Both industry and regulatory agencies recognize the need to identify the stocking density at which the demand for food particles is well matched to the supply.  Simple standards and elaborate numerical models have been developed, but there are knowledge gaps, such as the influence of husbandry practices on the time it takes a population of cultivated bivalves to filter a body of water.  This project will further the development of carrying capacity indicators for longline mussel farming areas by integrating husbandry practices (e.g., stocking density, farm configuration) into model simulations and predictions.

Principal investigator: Luc Comeau, DFO, 343 Université, Moncton, NB E1C 9B6; Tel: 506-851-2723; Email: luc.comeau@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team members: Michel Starr, DFO-Québec region;  Liliane St-Amand, DFO-Québec region; Thomas Guyondet, DFO-Gulf region; Rémi Sonier, DFO-Gulf region; Chris McKindsey, DFO-Québec region; Jon Grant, Dalhousie University; Ramon Filgueira, Dalhousie University; Rune Rosland, University of Bergen; Cédric Bacher, Ifremer

3-year project (2010/11, 2011/12, 2012/13) –Related project: PARR-2011-G-04