PhD defence: Muscle-up: enhancing mussel collection and transplantation success with a biodegradable material

The primary objective of this research was to explore a strategy to enhance the success of mussel collection and transplantations for restoration and aquaculture purposes, particularly using biodegradable structures known as BioShell-SMCs.

Results showed that deployment location significantly impacted mussel seed collection efficiency, with traditional ropes performing better than BioShell-SMCs in harsher, more exposed areas. In calmer conditions, the final obtained biomass was similar. The use of the BioShell-SMC proved to be a promising approach to enhance the survival and establishment of larger mussel seed, enhancing self-facilitating feedback mechanisms in a coastal ecosystem. While the BioShell-SMC provided protection against both hydrodynamic forces and predators, the extent of its effectiveness depended on mussel size, with smaller mussels being vulnerable to predation during the early days to weeks. Mussels in high density attached to the BioShell-SMC dispersed from the SMC on both muddy and sandy sediments, creating an opportunity to escape high competition. The survival of mussels was found to be largely unaffected by large-scale seeding patterns, simplifying the implementation of this novel method without the need for specific banding patterns.

In conclusion, the BioShell-SMC has shown to be able to improve transplantation success substantially, when transplanted at the right time, in right mussel densities and on small scale.