Developing methods for assessing abundance and distribution of European oysters (Ostrea edulis) using towed video.

Due to large-scale habitat losses and increasing pressures, benthic habitats in general, and perhaps oyster beds in particular, are commonly in decline and severely threatened on regional and global scales. Appropriate and cost-efficient methods for mapping and monitoring of the distribution, abundance and quality of remaining oyster populations are fundamental for sustainable management and conservation of these habitats and their associated values. Towed video has emerged as a promising method for surveying benthic communities in a both non-destructive and cost-efficient way.

Modeling and predicting the growth of the mussel, Mytilus edulis: implications for planning of aquaculture and eutrophication mitigation.

The increased pressure on the marine ecosystems highlights the need for policies and integrated approaches for sustainable management of coastal areas. Spatial planning based on geographic information of human activities, ecological structures and functions, and their associated goods and services is a fundamental component in this context. Here, we evaluate the potential of predictive modeling to provide spatial data on one ecosystem function, mussel growth for use in such processes.

Profiles and levels of fatty acid esters of okadaic acid group toxins and pectenotoxins during toxin depuration. Part I: brown crab (Cancer pagurus).

In 2002, two outbreaks of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) occurred in Norway, which was later confirmed to be caused by the consumption of brown crab (Cancer pagurus) contaminated predominantly by esters of okadaic acid (OA) after feeding on toxic blue mussels (Mytilus edulis). In addition to OA-group toxins, pectenotoxins (PTXs) are commonly detected in the toxin-producing algae (i.e.

Profiles and levels of fatty acid esters of okadaic acid group toxins and pectenotoxins during toxin depuration. Part II: blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and flat oyster (Ostrea edulis).

Bivalve molluscs accumulate toxins of the okadaic acid (OA) and pectenotoxin (PTX) groups, which are frequently found in Dinophysis spp. Transformation of the OA-group toxins into fatty acid ester derivatives (often designated "DTX3") is common in many bivalve species but the degree to which these toxins are transformed vary between species, and is also depending on the parent toxin involved. In this paper, detailed profiles and levels of fatty acid esters of OA, DTX1, DTX2 and PTX2 SA were studied in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and European flat oysters (Ostrea edulis), collected during a bloom of Dinophysis spp.