Four hundred eighty mature marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) were collected in late April from a mussel lease in an estuary in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Squash preparations made of reproductive gland (mantle) tissue of each mussel were stained with Wright-Giemsa stain and were examined by one inve...

Anecdotal reports from mussel growers suggest that increased stocking density decreases the settlement and growth of the fouling organisms Styela clava (clubbed tunicate) and Ciona intestinalis (vase tunicate). To evaluate this hypothesis, 15 mussel socks of low (90 mussels per 30 cm), medium (250 m...

The recent detection of the invasive colonial tunicate Diplosoma listerianum in Havre- Aubert, Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada) in 2008, prompted the development of a molecular assay as a method to detect and monitor for the potential invasion of this species in Prince Edward ...

Over the past decade, four exotic tunicates (Styela clava, Ciona intestinalis, Botrylloides violaceus and Botryllus schlosseri) have been reported in the Brudenell estuary in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. Styela clava was the first exotic tunicate to arrive in 1997, rapidly establishing, sprea...

With the increasing spread of invasive marine species and their detrimental effects on aquaculture operations globally, mitigation strategies need to be optimized to mitigate economic impacts. The efficacy of a potassium monopersulphonate triple salt based disinfectant used in the aquaculture indust...

In 2004, an exotic tunicate, Ciona intestinalis, was detected in Montague River, Prince Edward Island. Since it was first detected, this exotic species has become an invasive nuisance species creating production problems in bivalve aquaculture industries including handling difficulties and resource ...

Mussel (Mytilus edulis) culture in Atlantic Canada utilizes wild seed harvested from spat collection sites. The economics associated with wild-caught seed have proven to be more favourable than with hatchery-produced seed. This is not, however, the case in all areas. In Washington state, seed used f...

Triploid shellfish are sterile and retain product quality during, and after the spawning period. Field evaluations of diploid and triploid mussels demonstrated that triploids had a greater growth rate than diploids. The growth difference was evident in the first growing year after deployment in a hi...

The induction of triploidy in Mytilus edulis, using 6-dimethylaminopurine (6-DMAP), was investigated as a potential method of providing high quality sterile product in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. Initial results indicated induction by blocking the second polar body would require a treatment ...

A letter to the editor is presented discussing polychaete composition in blue mussel fouling communities in relation to mussel stocking density and seasonality of mussel deployment and sampling.

A colorimetric method (glucose oxidase/peroxidase) for indirect measurement of glycogen concentrations in tissue homogenates of marine mussels (Mytilus edulis) was evaluated. This method uses a conversion of glycogen to glucose by amyloglucosidase. Varying the buffer pH (4.5, 5.0; 5.5) and the amylo...

A colorimetric method for indirect measurement of glycogen concentrations in tissue homogenates of eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica) was evaluated. This method uses a conversion of glycogen to glucose by amyloglucosidase. The procedure was optimized Fur extracting buffer pH (5.0) and amylogluc...

Blue mussel Mytilus edulis aquaculture lines and associated gear provide habitat for sessile and mobile epifaunal fouling organisms. Due to food limitations and substrate space, these species are likely to interact among themselves and with mussels. In some areas of Prince Edward Island and elsewher...

Since all retroviruses possess reverse transcriptase (RT) enzyme, reverse transcriptase activity has been the main supportive evidence of retroviral etiology of haemic neoplasia (HN) in soft shell clams, Mya arenaria. The objective of the present study was to search for a putative retrovirus in vari...

Invasive tunicates are creating costly fouling problems to the mussel aquaculture industry in many regions including Prince Edward Island, Canada. These invasive tunicates are also posing a threat to the ecosystem integrity of native species. There are currently four invasive tunicate species presen...

In 1999, examination of soft-shell clam (Mya arenaria) mortalities at an experimental lease on Prince Edward Island (PEI) revealed a 95% prevalence of advanced haemic neoplasia (leukaemia). Low prevalences of this condition had been documented previously in soft-shell clams from Nova Scotia and the ...

Spatial growth variation of experimentally cultured blue mussels Mytilus edulis in Tracadie Bay, Prince Edward Island, Canada, was consistent in both years of a 2 yr study. The spatial pattern displayed reduced tissue growth along a gradient of decreasing tidal exchange from the inlet mouth to the i...