Rich Langan, Director, Coastal and Ocean Technology Programs: Professor, School or Marine Science and Ocean Engineering, University of New Hampshire Topic: Growing the Crop

1. Opportunities and Challenges for Expanding
Mussel Aquaculture in New England
Baird Symposium‐November 14, 2013

2. Today’s Presentation
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Motivation
Methods
History and Current Status
Challenges
Reasons to be Optimistic
Reasons to not be….
Future?

3. Primary Motivation: US Consumption
and Production
• US production
 Average 2005‐2012 $4 M; 4.5 M lbs
• Imports
$100 M (all products)
$40 M ( fresh/live)

4. Bottom culture

5. Rope Cultured Mussels

6. MUSSEL CULTURE BASICS
• Seed Collection/production
Wild caught
Hatchery
• Nursery Culture
On seed lines; 4-6 months
• Growout
Suspension of mesh “socks” or growing rope

12. NZ style
Spanish style

16. Surface Referenced Longlines-PEI

20. Open Ocean‐ US EEZ

22. Submerged Longline

25. Finite Element Modeling

26. Mussel Farming Around New England
14 Lease Holders
2 BC
9 Raft
2 LL

27. UNH Offshore
Aquaculture
Facility
10 km from shore
52 m deep
Current velocities 20 ‐> 150 cm/s
Significant wave heights > 10 m

30. 12 Longlines
180,000 lb Capacity

31. 25 Acres
15 acres
5 Longlines
10 acres

32. 2 lines (5)

34. ?

36. We Have the Technology

37. Favorable Production Cycle
80
70
60
Shell
Height
(mm)
Jun-99
50
Oct-99
Jun-00
40
Dec-00
Dec-01
30
Dec-02
May-03
20
June-04
10
0
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
Months Post Deployment
16
18

38. We Can Produce a Superior Product

39. Favorable Economic Outlook
$3 M
$2 M
$900 K
20%

40. We Can Create Jobs

41. We Can Learn from Others

42. Key component of Integrated Multitrophic
Aquaculture (IMTA)

43. We Can Join Forces

50. Thank You!
Questions?