Understanding the ontogenetic changes in particle processing of the greenshell™ mussel, Perna canaliculus, in order to improve hatchery feeding practices

The New Zealand Greenshell™ industry has recently invested $20 M to build a large scale hatchery/nursery to address an on-going shortage with seed supply which has been constraining the growth of the industry. Shortages of mussel seed, caused by poor feeding and starvation, have resulted in seed shortages in the industry for the last three years, shaving off almost 20% production of the entire industry, in the order of $30 M lost production a year. Hence there is intense interest in better understanding the feeding biology of juvenile mussels and using this knowledge to resolve the major production issues faced by this aquaculture industry. From our international contacts, we understand that other countries with significant mussel farming industries face similar issues, such as Chile. Therefore, we believe that there is strong reader interest and value in the publication of this fundamental research.