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CARRYING CAPACITY FOR SHELLFISH AQUACULTURE WITH REFERENCE TO MUSSEL AQUACULTURE IN MALPEQUE BAY , PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

In Prince Edward Island (PEI), shellfish (bivalves comprised of mussel and oyster) aquaculture production occurs in sheltered, generally shallow bays. The productive capacity of a bay for shellfish aquaculture is determined by many factors including the hydrodynamics of the bay and input of nutrients. There is considered to be a limit to the production (biomass) that can be extracted from an area due to competition for the limiting resource which is phytoplankton, the primary trophic level. Requests were made to increase the amount of leases for the production of mussels in Malpeque Bay, PEI. In support of the development of a bay management plan for Malpeque, DFO Gulf Region Aquaculture Management asked for advice on how much expansion could occur without exceeding the carrying capacity of the bay. The question was refined to assess a proposal for an additional 590 ha of suspended mussel leases in Malpeque Bay. This Science Advisory Report is from the regional science peer review meeting of Oct. 89, 2014 on the carrying capacity for shellfish aquaculture with reference to mussel aquaculture in Malpeque Bay, PEI. Participants at the meeting were from DFO Science Gulf, Maritimes, Quebec, Pacific and National Headquarters regions, DFO Aquaculture Management Gulf Region, province of PEI, universities, and the shellfish aquaculture industry. Additional publications from this meeting will be posted on the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Science Advisory Schedule as they become available.