Determination of the growth performance of Mytilus galloprovincialis in nets at Gökçeada Island

Abstract

© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.In this study, which was conducted between November 2017 and October 2018 at Gökçeada Island, the specific growth rate (SGR), a length–weight correlation with a regression to determine the growth pattern of mussel spat, and survival rates of Mediterranean mussel spat were determined. Mediterranean mussels collected from the wild (N = 120) were grouped on each net (N = 40). Then, chlorophyll-a, water temperature, salinity, pH and particulate matter values were collected on a monthly basis, in triplicate. The mean chlorophyll-a was 0.21 ± 0.12 μg L−1, mean water temperature was 18.32 ± 5.46°C, mean salinity was 34.65 ± 2.38‰, and mean pH was 8.12 ± 0.04, while the composite of total particulate matter (TPM) was 17.88 ± 11.25 mg L−1. Length–weight correlation analysis indicated a strong correlation between the two parameters (r = 0.91). According to the results of the regression analysis performed between length and weight, a growth of negative allometry was detected in Mediterranean mussels (W = 0.0003L2.7254). Although the mussel survival rate was 77.5% in August 2018, it decreased to 13.3% by the end of the study in October 2018, due to the increase in the quantity of fouling organisms that gathered on the nets. At the beginning of the study, in November 2017, the average length was 19.58 ± 0.29 mm; 12 months later, in October 2018, it had increased to 43.77 ± 1.02 mm. These data indicate that according to the general linear model analysis, temperature was the only parameter affecting Mediterranean mussel growth among the environmental variables TPM, particulate organic matter, particulate inorganic matter, temperature, salinity, chlorophyll-a and pH. Since chlorophyll-a, which is an important parameter for the growth of mussels, remained at low levels in this study, its effect on growth has not been determined statistically.