Mussel processing. (Photo: ANFACO)

Climatic conditions limit mussel meat yields

SPAIN
Wednesday, June 28, 2017, 01:10 (GMT + 9)

A group of scientists determined that the best farmed mussel meat yields in Galicia are obtained in years characterized by dry winters with an early spring, followed by summers with intense and frequent northeasterly winds.

In order to establish the influence of climatic conditions on mussel meat yields, scientists from the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC), in collaboration with the company Proinsa, studied an extensive data set of meat yields from mussels farmed in different areas of the estuary of Ares-Betanzos collected between 2001 and 2012 by said company.

The work models the seasonal variability of yield in meat and analyzes its interannual variability according to the meteorological conditions in the study area, using solar radiation, coastal winds and river discharge as explanatory variables. These meteorological variables are proposed as proxies of the sea surface temperature and food availability, being the variables that control bivalve growth, according to previous studies published.

The work establishes the utility of linking mussel meat yield with the meteorological conditions to use these as predictors of the seasonal and interannual variability in mussel meat yield.

"The marine ecosystems affected by the bloom phenomenon as in the case of the Galician coast, are highly sensitive to changes in climatological conditions, particularly alterations in the coastal winds regime. In this context, a study has been carried out to find out if these changes in climatology explain the variability observed in mussel meat yield and, if so, in what sense," the researchers point out.

To this end, the scientists, who have been developing research in the Ares-Betanzos estuary for more than two decades under research contracts with the mussel company Proinsa, analyzed data on the meat yield of mussel grown in the two farming polygons between 2001 and 2012 and examined the interannual variability of their seasonal cycle in terms of the climatological conditions of those years.

In particular, they observed that the best meat yields were obtained in farming cycles characterized by dry winters accompanied by early spring and followed by summers dominated by strong northeast winds, responsible for the bloom in this area.

The study also reveals spatial differences within the Ares-Betanzos estuary in relation to the mussel meat yield, with higher yields being observed in the inner part than in its central segment.

"These results put into value the utility of linking the mussel meat yield to the climatic conditions of an area, not only because the meat yield serves to set the price of the product in the market but because it makes it possible to infer how climate change could affect farmed mussel quality," the study authors point out.

The work confirms that the interannual variability observed in the seasonal cycle of the meat yield of mussels farmed in the estuary is linked to the primary variables that define the climate of the zone: continental inputs, coastal wind and solar radiation.

Thus, the contribution of rivers inversely affects the average annual meat yield; the north-west winds have a positive effect on the increase in meat yield in spring and summer; and solar radiation, which determines spring’s spawning, affects the beginning of the recovery of mussel meat yield, with which the central harvest season begins.

These variables can be indicators to estimate the seasonal and interannual variability of mussel yield and are also useful to discuss the impact of future climatic scenarios on mussel meat yields in the Galician estuaries.

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 ANFACO-CECOPESCA - Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes de Conservas de Pescados y Mariscos-

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