| The objective of this study is to explain the decrease in mussel production, along the French coasts of Atlantic and the English Channel, through existing data and additional inquiries. This decrease in 2010 and 2011 had two components : a growth deficit and losses of mussels, due to detachment and mortality. Both inter-annual and geographic differences in rearing yields seem to be linked to phytoplankton abundance and turbidity. In 2011, severe droughts have impacted the level of rivers effluents to marine, limiting nutrients inputs. In 2010, frequent winds from east seem to have maintained the phytoplankton blooms away from the coasts. Detachment and mortalities of mussels might be due to physiological stress or weakening linked to poor environmental... |
