Janah H, Aghzar A, Presa P, Ouagajjou Y. Influence of Pediveliger Larvae Stocking Density on Settlement Efficiency and Seed Production in Captivity of
Mytilus galloprovincialis in Amsa Bay, Tetouan.
Animals (Basel) 2024;
14:239. [PMID:
38254408 PMCID:
PMC10812630 DOI:
10.3390/ani14020239]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Revised: 01/07/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
In mussel hatchery systems, the settlement process is a crucial element influencing seed yield. The current study assayed the influence of five densities of competent pediveliger larvae on settlement success and post-larvae production. We showed an inverse relationship between density and settlement efficiency, e.g., an attachment success of 99.4% at the lowest density (35 larvae/cm2) but only 9% at the highest density (210 larvae/cm2). However, post-larvae production was higher at intermediate larvae densities (70 larvae/cm2). The reimplementation of treatments upon post-larvae density after 6 weeks post settlement showed that the lowest-density groups bore both the highest post-larvae growth rate (22.24 ± 4.60 µm/day) and the largest head batch (48% of the size distribution), as compared to the higher-post-larvae-density groups. These results highlight the importance of optimizing both pediveliger larvae density and post-larvae density, to maximize high-quality seed yield in local hatcheries. Current rearing technologies would assure a timely commercial seed production to protect natural sea rocky beds in Alboran Sea coasts.
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