Geographical variation in the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content of blue mussels, Mytilus edulis

Shellfish farming contributes to nutrient removal in coastal and estuarine systems, as bivalves incorporate nutrients into their tissues and shells, which is removed from the marine system on harvest. Fourteen locations around the UK were surveyed to explore geographic variation in carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content of tissue and shell in blue mussels. Phosphorus in tissue had a significant negative relationship with mean annual seawater temperature for both rope and bottom cultured sites. Per tonne of live mussel, rope culture removed significantly more nitrogen (8.50 +/- 0.59 kg) and phosphorus (0.95 +/- 0.07 kg) than bottom cultured (5.00 +/- 0.013 kg nitrogen and 0.43 +/- 0.01 kg phosphorus). Bottom culture, however, provides significantly more C removal in shell (60.15 +/- 0.77 kg) than in rope cultured (46.12 +/- 1.69 kg). Further studies are required to examine the effect of growth rate, on the nitrogen and phosphorus remediation, and carbon stored in shell, of rope culture and bottom cultured mussel aquaculture.

Automated summary

Shellfish farming plays a role in nutrient removal from coastal and estuarine systems by incorporating nutrients into their tissues and shells. The study found that rope culture removes more nitrogen and phosphorus per tonne of live mussel compared to bottom culture, while bottom culture provides more carbon removal in shell. Additionally, phosphorus content in tissue was significantly negatively related to mean annual seawater temperature.