Cultivation of green mussel, Perna viridis L., on a floating raft in an estuary along the west coast of India

Abstract

Total production of green mussels, Perna viridis, grown on a raft (16 m sup(2)) for 1 year was 2144.64 kg and biomass (meat weight) was 1040.00 kg. Annual production (P) and biomass (B) estimated were 33.51 and 16.25 kg m sup(-1) respectively. Consistently high growth rate was recorded for up to 164 days of culture (P = 21.32 kg m sup(-1); B = 10.87 kg m sup(-1)). Thereafter, the production increased, but the growth rate was low (P = 33.51 kg m sup(-1) year sup(-1); B = 21.32 kg m sup(-1) year sup(-1)). Following the half year peak in yield, there was a significant inverse relationship between shell and meat weight such that the contribution to production by biomass decreased while shell weight increased. For raft-grown P. viridis the optimal period for harvest is approximately 5-6 months when the mussels are 5-6 cm in length.