Does skimming flow reduce population growth in horse mussels?

Skimming flow was induced in a field flow-through flume with model and live horse mussels as roughness elements. A growth experiment was conducted in the flume with locally available seawater and natural seston. Horse mussel population growth was compared in turbulent isolated element (control) and skimming flow (treatment) and with regulated natural seston levels, indicated by C = bulk flow seston concentration, C1 = seston concentration in the benthic boundary layer, near the inhalant, which just meets the maintenance ration of the mussel population. We were able to control the bulk seston within the range: 1.2 to 5 times of C1 during the growth experiment. No significant difference between control and skimming flow treatments was found in: tissue growth, RNA-DNA ratios, or condition factor. Extrapolating from the experimental results we predict that under minimum growth enhancing seston concentrations at a high horse mussel density (71 m2), skimming flow does not reduce population growth.