In the last 5 years, paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) have been recurrently detected in mollusks farmed in the mussel culture area of Qinhuangdao city, along with the occurrence of toxic outbreaks linked to dinoflagellate species of the Alexandrium genus. To understand the formation mechanism and variation of these events, continuous and comprehensive PSTs monitoring was carried out between 2017 and 2020. Through the analysis of both phytoplankton and cysts via light microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction, it was shown that Alexandrium catenella was responsible for the production of PSTs, which consisted mainly of gonyautoxins 1,4 (GTX1/4, 87%) and GTX2/3 (13%). During bloom events in 2019, mussels accumulated the highest PSTs value (929 μg STX di-HCl eq·kg⁻¹) in conjunction with the peak of cell abundances, and toxin profiles were consistent with high distributions of GTX1/4, GTX2/3, and Neosaxitoxin. Toxin metabolites vary in different substances and mainly transferred to a stable proportion of α-epimer: β-epimers 3:1. The environmental drivers of Alexandrium blooms included the continuous rise of water temperature (>4 °C) and calm weather with low wind speed and no significant precipitation. By comparing toxin profiles and method sensitivity, it was found that dissolved toxins in seawater are more useful for early warning. These results have important implications for the effective monitoring and management of paralytic shellfish poisoning outbreaks.

Understanding ecological impacts of bottom-based clam aquaculture can improve its management. In this study, taxonomic and functional macrofaunal assemblage were evaluated for two clam farms located in Laizhou Bay, China. Beta diversity and factors potentially regulating the dissimilarity of macrofauna were estimated. Both taxonomic and functional composition of macrofauna showed large differences between the clam farm and the control area. Functional dissimilarity within the clam farms was found to be nestedness and negatively correlated to local clam abundance. Additionally, the cultured clam enhanced the functional richness but made the macrofaunal assemblage more fragile against species or function loss. This effect would increase with clam abundance, which highlights the importance of identifying optimal clam culture intensity in developing a bottom-based clam aquaculture program.

Bottom aquaculture of bivalves is a high-yield culture method, which is increasingly adopted by shellfish farmers worldwide. However, the effects of bottom aquaculture on benthic ecosystems are not well-known. Manila clam (Ruditapes philippinarum), is a widely distributed bottom aquaculture mollusk species. To assess the ecological impacts of Manila clam bottom aquaculture, clams and other macrofaunal assemblages were investigated during four cruises (July and November 2011, February and May 2012) at six sampling sites in Jiaozhou Bay, China. Correlation analysis showed that macrofaunal assemblages had significant negative correlations with the abundance of Manila clams. However, according to the results of several biotic indices, a low disturbance was detected by Manila clam bottom aquaculture. In conclusion, AMBI (AZTI'S Marine Biotic Index) and M-AMBI (Multivariate AZTI Marine Biotic Index) indices are more suitable for assessing ecological quality than polychaete/amphipod ratios when the disturbance is slight, such as at a bivalve bottom aquaculture.

Seawater monitoring and geochemical and benthic foraminiferal analysis of sediments were conducted to identify the effects of hypoxia created by a mussel farm on benthic foraminifera in a semi-closed bay. Extremely polluted reductive conditions with a high content of organic matter (OM) at >12.0% and oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) with dissolved oxygen (DO) <0.4mg∙L–1 were formed below the mussel farm in the northwest area of Gamak Bay, and gradually diffused toward the south. Highly similar patterns of variation were observed in species diversity, abundance frequency, and benthic foraminiferal assemblage distributed from Elphidium subarcticum–Ammonia beccarii in the northwest area through E. subarcticum–A. beccarii–Trochammina hadai, E. subarcticum–A. beccarii–Elphidiumclavatum, and E. clavatum–Ammonia ketienziensis in the southern area. These phenomena were caused by hydrodynamics in the current water mass. It was thought that E. subarcticum is a bioindicator of organic pollution caused by the mussel farm.

A moratorium on further bivalve leasing was established in 1999–2000 in Prince Edward Island (Canada). Recently, a marine spatial planning process was initiated explore potential mussel culture expansion in Malpeque Bay. This study focuses on the effects of a projected expansion scenario on productivity of existing leases and available suspended food resources. The aim is to provide a robust scientific assessment using available datasets and three modelling approaches ranging in complexity: (1) a connectivity analysis among culture areas; (2) a scenario analysis of organic seston dynamics based on a simplified biogeochemical model; and (3) a scenario analysis of phytoplankton dynamics based on an ecosystem model. These complementary approaches suggest (1) new leases can affect existing culture both through direct connectivity and through bay-scale effects driven by the overall increase in mussel biomass, and (2) a net reduction of phytoplankton within the bounds of its natural variation in the area.

Biological and geochemical variables in the water column and sediments were monitored along a transect of a mussel farm located in a transitional environment in Maliakos Gulf, a semi-enclosed gulf in eastern Mediterranean. Analyses of water, sediment and macrofauna samples were used to calculate ecological status indicators in the context of the European Water Framework Directive. The water column ecological status was “Poor” or “Bad” showing little change with distance from the farm, but the ecological status of the benthic communities was found to be “Good,” although there were quantitative changes in macrofaunal indices with distance from the farm.

The effects of long-line mussel farming on microphytobenthos were investigated in a coastal area of the Gulf of Trieste. Sediment grain-size, organic matter content, microalgal abundance and community structure were analysed in September 2008 and March 2009. Four areas were sampled: a twenty-year farm, a four-year farm, a disused farm and a reference site. Principal component analysis (PCA) highlighted a decreasing gradient of organic matter content from the twenty-year farm to the control. Mussel farming seemed to influence microphytobenthic abundance with higher densities in the oldest farm. Three genera were dominant; Navicula and Gyrosigma seemed to be stimulated by the organic load under the active farms while we infer that Nitzschia proliferation was limited by shade caused by mussel ropes. In the PCA, samplings of the disused farm were placed in-between the still active farms and the control, indicating the partial recovery occurred in this site.

Long-line mussel farming has been proposed as a mitigation tool for removal of excess nutrients in eutrophic coastal waters. A full-scale mussel farm optimized for cost efficient nutrient removal was established in the eutrophic Skive Fjord, Denmark where biological and economic parameters related to nutrient removal was monitored throughout a full production cycle (1yr). The results showed that it was possible to obtain a high area specific biomass of 60tWWha−1eqvivalent to a nitrogen and phosphorus removal of 0.6–0.9 and 0.03–0.04tha−1yr, respectively. The analysis of the costs related to establishment, maintenance and harvest revealed that mussel production optimized for mitigation can be carried out at a lower cost compared to mussel production for (human) consumption. The costs for nutrient removal was 14.8€kg−1N making mitigation mussel production a cost-efficient measure compared to the most expensive land-based measures.

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), δ13C and δ15N were measured in sediment cores at three sites in Sishili Bay, China, to track the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the coastal environment over the last 100years. The increased TOC and TN in the upper section of sediment cores indicated a eutrophic process since 1975. In comparison, the TOC and TN in the sediment core near to a scallop aquaculture area displayed a much slower increase, indicating the contribution of scallop aquaculture in mitigating eutrophication. Combined information from δ13C, δ15N and TOC:TN indicated an increased terrestrial signal, although organic matter sources in Sishili Bay featured a mixture of terrestrial and marine sources, with phytoplankton being dominant. Increased fertilizer use since 1970s contributed to the eutrophic process in Sishili Bay since 1975, and increased sewage discharge from 1990s has added to this process.

Invasive, fouling species increase management costs and reduce mussel growth, which jeopardizes mariculture. We studied the distribution of eight invasive species in Santa Catarina, the leading mussel producer in Brazil. Our goals were to determine their spatial distribution and prevalence on farm structures (buoys, long lines, and mussel socks), as well as understand the relevance of propagule pressure (recruitment), port distance, and area of the farm in this distribution. Although present in all sites, adult and recruits distribution were spatially restricted, showing that species might have a metapopulation structure. The most prevalent species were the ascidian Styela plicata, the barnacle Megabalanus coccopoma, the bryozoan Schizoporella errata, and the polychaete Branchiomma luctuosum. Recruitment was the main driver of three species distribution while distance to port explained only one species distribution. Based on those results, we discuss policy options, management, and regulation enforcement, that can be used in the mussel aquaculture elsewhere.