The main objective of the project is to foster resilient, sustainable, and innovative mussel production through raft aquaculture. By adopting an inter- and multidisciplinary approach, the project seeks to develop genetically improved seeds with commercially valuable traits, evaluate their performance under controlled laboratory conditions, and overcome the challenges associated with their cultivation in natural marine environments (rafts or "bateas").
To achieve this general goal, the project outlines four specific objectives:
Identify genetic variants associated with key commercial traits to support selective breeding programs. This includes evaluating the heritability and identifying genetic markers for traits such as meat colour (which is strongly linked to sex), growth rate, byssus strength (essential for securing mussels to ropes), oocyte (egg) production, and overall survival.
Monitor key variables in mussel raft systems. A continuous monitoring system will be established on an experimental raft to track oceanic and biogeochemical variables. This objective also involves optimizing the materials and thickness of cultivation ropes, testing the best placement for seed traps to prevent wild seed contamination, and using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to capture underwater images for analysis.
Evaluate the phenotypic stability of key traits in mussel families grown under natural raft conditions. This aims to assess whether the traits achieved in the hatchery (such as growth, meat colour, and byssus strength) remain stable or vary when exposed to real environmental factors like temperature, salinity, and wave action. It will also evaluate how contamination from exogenous (wild) seed impacts the performance of these genetically improved lines.
Develop a Digital Twin of the mussel raft. Using the advanced DualSPHysics model, the project will design a high-resolution simulation of the raft's dynamics. This will allow researchers to analyze how wave dynamics and marine currents interact with the structure and predict the specific environmental conditions that cause mussels to detach from the hanging ropes.