have also been conducted with regard to their reproductive cycle, the intensity of
seed capture in the natural environment through collectors, and their fattening using
floating systems.
The first attempt to culture bivalve mollusks in the Alboran Sea was carried out in
La Herradura (Granada) at the beginning of the 1990s, whereby a raft was installed
to cultivate mussels, but results were not good, and the platform was raised.
Subsequently, in 1997, an experimental project for the culture of mollusks in the
Alboran Sea began. This project was funded by the Regional Government of
Andalucía and was carried out by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography to assess
the viability of the culture of pectinids (king scallop, black scallop, and queen
scallop) along the coast of Fuengirola, province of Malaga. Later, the project was
extended to the coasts of Marbella and Estepona (Province of Malaga), with funding
from the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological
Innovation.
In 1999 longlines were installed on the coast of Marbella to assess the viability of
mussel farming in this area and its exploitation in an industrial manner. Later, some
rafts were placed in Velez Malaga (Province of Malaga), although due to their
location, they neither function, and they were also raised. Furthermore, another
company installed rafts in La Linea de la Concepcion (Cadiz) in a sheltered location
with good results, and they are still working
Mussel Culture
Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Lamarck, 1819) is a bivalve mollusk dioecious
species, reaching maturity as males, but as they age, a great percentage of individuals
change their sex to become females (protandric hermaphroditism). It is cultured from
the mid-1900s in Spain, mainly in Galicia (Pérez Camacho et al. 1991).
In the Alboran Sea, mussel seed is obtained by using collector ropes anchored in
the same raft in spring and autumn and then taken off between March and July, when
they are in the range of 5–20 mm in height or by collecting the seed from the rocks in
spring when they have similar sizes. In the Andalusian Mediterranean coast, the
fixation of the seed shows a seasonal pattern with a greater abundance between
mid-spring and early summer, although there is an abundance of seed throughout the
year. It is advisable to anchor the collecting ropes at the beginning of spring and at
depth to increase seed collection (JACUMAR 2011). In spite of spat recruitment
showing a vertical gradient, differences according to location are founded (Leon
et al. 2009). Obtained mussel seeds are moved to growing facilities, mostly to
longlines in several locations (Fig. 20.7) but also to rafts placed mainly in La
Linea de la Concepcion (Cadiz) (Fig. 20.8).
The surface longline consists of a main line with a series of plastic, polyester, or
polyethylene buoys, which are joined by longitudinal lines arranged horizontally to
the surface of the water. Vertical ropes that support the mussels are fixed to these
longitudinal lines. The rafts are rigid floating structures anchored to the bottom.
They consist of a grid of polyethylene beams assembled on a float system (Esteban
20 Aquaculture in the Alboran Sea
671
seed capture in the natural environment through collectors, and their fattening using
floating systems.
The first attempt to culture bivalve mollusks in the Alboran Sea was carried out in
La Herradura (Granada) at the beginning of the 1990s, whereby a raft was installed
to cultivate mussels, but results were not good, and the platform was raised.
Subsequently, in 1997, an experimental project for the culture of mollusks in the
Alboran Sea began. This project was funded by the Regional Government of
Andalucía and was carried out by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography to assess
the viability of the culture of pectinids (king scallop, black scallop, and queen
scallop) along the coast of Fuengirola, province of Malaga. Later, the project was
extended to the coasts of Marbella and Estepona (Province of Malaga), with funding
from the National Plan for Scientific Research, Development and Technological
Innovation.
In 1999 longlines were installed on the coast of Marbella to assess the viability of
mussel farming in this area and its exploitation in an industrial manner. Later, some
rafts were placed in Velez Malaga (Province of Malaga), although due to their
location, they neither function, and they were also raised. Furthermore, another
company installed rafts in La Linea de la Concepcion (Cadiz) in a sheltered location
with good results, and they are still working
Mussel Culture
Mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis, Lamarck, 1819) is a bivalve mollusk dioecious
species, reaching maturity as males, but as they age, a great percentage of individuals
change their sex to become females (protandric hermaphroditism). It is cultured from
the mid-1900s in Spain, mainly in Galicia (Pérez Camacho et al. 1991).
In the Alboran Sea, mussel seed is obtained by using collector ropes anchored in
the same raft in spring and autumn and then taken off between March and July, when
they are in the range of 5–20 mm in height or by collecting the seed from the rocks in
spring when they have similar sizes. In the Andalusian Mediterranean coast, the
fixation of the seed shows a seasonal pattern with a greater abundance between
mid-spring and early summer, although there is an abundance of seed throughout the
year. It is advisable to anchor the collecting ropes at the beginning of spring and at
depth to increase seed collection (JACUMAR 2011). In spite of spat recruitment
showing a vertical gradient, differences according to location are founded (Leon
et al. 2009). Obtained mussel seeds are moved to growing facilities, mostly to
longlines in several locations (Fig. 20.7) but also to rafts placed mainly in La
Linea de la Concepcion (Cadiz) (Fig. 20.8).
The surface longline consists of a main line with a series of plastic, polyester, or
polyethylene buoys, which are joined by longitudinal lines arranged horizontally to
the surface of the water. Vertical ropes that support the mussels are fixed to these
longitudinal lines. The rafts are rigid floating structures anchored to the bottom.
They consist of a grid of polyethylene beams assembled on a float system (Esteban
20 Aquaculture in the Alboran Sea
671