Seasonal variations of physiological parameters in the blue mussel mytilus spp. from farm sites of eastern Quebec

A seasonal monitoring of indigenous (Gaspé Bay, Carleton, Havre-St-Pierre, Magdalen Islands and Blanc-Sablon) and transplanted (Gaspé Bay, Carleton, Havre-St-Pierre) mussels from different farm sites of Eastern Quebec allowed us to study mussel physiology as a function of environmental factors. A positive influence of phytoplankton cell concentration and temperature on the reproductive cycle was discovered even if no significant relationship has been showed because of the fragmented pattern of gametogenesis. A decrease of digestive gland index (DGI) was observed during gametogenesis. Development of gametes needs much energy and its great influence on digestive gland weight prevented us to correlate mussel growth with environmental factors. A decrease of phagocytic activity was observed in each site in midsummer, concomitantly to the most active spawning period. A significant positive correlation was remarked between maturity index in males and phagocytosis. A decrease of phagocytic activity could then have a direct impact on mussel population since it occurred during high temperature period when mussels had to face spawning, bacterial developments and diseases. It appeared in our study that reproductive cycle is a key event in mussel physiology and important for mussel farmers to follow-up. In the near future, we intend to develop and validate reliable indicators of the reproductive cycle in cultured mussels.