Biochemical and genetic characteristics of suspension-cultured mussels (Mytilus edulis) in relation to byssal thread production and losses by fall-off

¹ Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada
² Centre maricole des Îles-de-la-Madeleine, MAPAQ, 107-125 chemin du Parc, Cap-aux-Meules, Québec, G4T 1B3, Canada
³ Pêches et Océans Canada, Institut Maurice-Lamontagne, 850 route de la mer, C.P. 1000 Mont-Joli, Québec, G5H 3Z4, Canada
⁴ CEMCA UMR CNRS 6521, Université de Bretagne occidentale, CS 93837, 29238 Brest Cedex 3, France
⁵ Département de chimie, Université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888, Succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8, Canada

^a Corresponding author: rejean_tremblay@uqar.qc.ca

Received: 13 February 2011
Accepted: 13 May 2011

Abstract

Mussel culture relies on the mussel self-attachment capacity through byssus production. By doing so, no cages or containment devices are needed. It has been previously suggested that thread production requires a non-negligible part of the energy expenditure in blue mussels Mytilus edulis. Therefore our work investigates the relationships between byssal thread production, mussels energetic reserves and phospholipids profiles in the foot. The relationship between thread production and heterozygosity was also examined. The study was realized in a small lagoon of the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada, on four sampling dates between June and September encompassing the pre- to post-spawning periods. Our results show a significant relationship between the thread numbers and attachment strength. However, no correlations were found between energy reserves, phospholipids composition of the foot or heterozygosity level and byssal production. Our results suggest that mussels in suspension culture in this lagoon were not energy-limited so that the energy reserves did not influence the byssal thread production.