2026/05/25 by Rebecca L. Stobart, Andrew G. Jeffs, Jenny R. Hillman +1 · 1 voice
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior #Marine Bivalve and Aquaculture Studies #Myxozoan Parasites in Aquatic Species
paper · doi:10.1002/aff2.70263
openalex publication_date 2026/05/25 · openalex created_date 2026/05/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/19
ABSTRACT Fish predation is a severe contributor to mussel losses in aquaculture. Quantifying these losses during the production cycle is a crucial step for developing effective interventions to improve efficiency of mussel aquaculture. Despite frequent anecdotal reports of fish predation in New Zealand's Greenshell mussel ( Perna canaliculus ) industry, the contribution of predation to mussel losses remains unclear. Fish predation is thought to be more severe in the early stages of mussel production due to the vulnerability of juvenile mussels but is difficult to measure due to other causes of mussel losses. An experimental caging method was used to determine the extent of fish predation on Greenshell farms. The use of this caging method during initial seeding (0.9–8 mm shell length—SL), juvenile (25–34 mm SL), inter‐seeding (39–48 mm SL) and final re‐seeding (43–54 mm SL) of mussels in the Firth of Thames in northern New Zealand found losses due to predation of up to 93% in juvenile mussels over 67 days. In contrast, predation did not contribute significantly to mussel losses over 2 months following initial seeding, inter‐seeding or final‐re‐seeding production stages, despite losses of mussels reaching 94% and 33% after initial and final re‐seeding, respectively. The results indicate that at <8 and >39 mm SL, Greenshell mussels may be resistant or less attractive to fish predators. Other causes of Greenshell mussel losses at these stages of production need to be identified, whereas fish predation of mussels at 8–25 mm SL needs to be further investigated.