Jul
12
New Zealand mussel advances in Galician waters
Filed Under EN
Galician mussel — on top — and the New Zealand pygmy one below. (Photo: Stock File)
New Zealand mussel advances in Galician waters
SPAIN
Monday, July 13, 2015, 02:00 (GMT + 9)
The displacement of the native mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) for another foreign species, the pygmy mussel (Xenostrobus securis), which is native to New Zealand, can be a wake-up call for the seafood sector in Galicia.
According to the research conducted by scientists from the universities of Vigo and Oporto, the pygmy mussel is invading the estuaries of Vigo and Pontevedra.
The study is part of the doctoral thesis of the student Ignacio Gestoso, who worked under the tutelage of Professor Celia Olabarria, University of Vigo, and the co-supervision of Francisco Arenas, of the Interdisciplinary Marine and Environment Research Center of the University of Oporto.
The research was focused on the assessment of New Zealand mussel distribution and invasion mechanisms as well as the impact its settlement has on the benthic fauna associated with mussel clusters, Atlantico reported.
The studies revealed that the greatest abundance is concentrated in the inner part of the estuaries, and it gradually decreases towards the middle zones of such waters.
Salinity is designated as the main factor explaining why the invasive mussel is found mainly in inland areas of the estuaries.
Gestoso argues that the presence of this mollusc “is causing changes in the benthic rocky intertidal habitat, producing changes in the abundance of the dominant species.”
He also notes that New Zealand mussel has greater resilience than the Galician one to changes in temperature or pH derived from climate change.
In his opinion, the results show the need to carry out “a monitoring programme of the populations of both species of mussels, at least in the lower estuaries of Galicia, making space-time sampling, that is to say, at different points along the shoreline and over time.”
Besides, he emphasized the importance of a greater interaction among researchers and the different socio-economic sectors or activities that may be affected so that they can take effective management measures.
By Analia Murias
editorial@fis.com
www.fis.com
Open all references in tabs: [1 – 3]
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.