Scientists replicated a 1964 River Thames survey and found that mussel numbers have declined by almost 95%, with one species – the depressed river mussel – completely gone. The detailed study measured the change in size and number of all species of mussel in a stretch of the River Thames near Reading between 1964 and […]
Environment Agency: ‘Quagga mussels found in the River Trent and Rutland Water Invasive non-native species found in East Midlands River and reservoir users urged to follow ‘check, clean, dry’ procedures Environment Agency and Anglian Water working together to identify spread The invasive non-native species has recently been found in the River Trent near Newton-on-Trent, Lincolnshire, […]
Thanks to Emma Sheehan for this. CGTN: RAZOR: How mussels could help soaring food demand and the environment – Watch the Video Jo Colan and Giulia Carbonaro Feeding the world’s ever-increasing population is a growing challenge, pushing the limits of what the planet can sustain. By 2050, the demand for food is expected to be […]
Can shellfish aquaculture save coastal bays? A recent study has confirmed that mussel and oyster farming can play a key role in improving water quality by removing hundreds of tonnes of nitrogen from coastal bays and estuaries. A meta-analysis published in Aquaculture Reports reveals that mussel and oyster farming is likely to remove nearly 334 tonnes of […]
Guardian ‘In all her years working at Bodega Bay, the marine reserve research coordinator Jackie Sones had never seen anything like it: scores of dead mussels on the rocks, their shells gaping and scorched, their meats thoroughly cooked. A record-breaking June heatwave apparently caused the largest die-off of mussels in at least 15 years at Bodega Head, […]
All of the larger mussel species, Anodonta, Unio and Margaritifera are all able to move around the surface of their habitats and burrow. They have a large foot which fills with blood to enable this movement. This time lapse video of pearl mussels placed in a flume illustrates this brilliantly (Freshwater Biological Association). Pearl mussels […]
Bob Earll: Two articles below on the thinking for offshore mussel culture in the south coast of Devon and the changes on biodiversity. The issue is one of scale and there is a huge difference between a small scale operation and one the size of ‘Heathrow airport’. The scale of this development poses a number […]