Skip to content

Mussel Restoration Across an Estuarine Environmental Gradient: Implications for Site Selection

Published Article

New Zealand

Publication date: December 16, 2025

File format: URL

View resource

Transplanting green‑lipped mussels onto soft estuarine sediments shows strong restoration potential. Across six sites, mussels displayed only minor differences in density and condition. Their persistence suggests suitability for estuaries, with site‑specific factors like predators and wave exposure influencing success.

Subject Tags

  • Habitat restoration

Abstract

The transplanting of juvenile and adult mussels onto soft sediments is an emerging technique for the ecological restoration of the biogenic habitat formed by mussels. While these habitats are often found within estuarine systems, the spatial suitability of these environments for restoration is poorly described. The dynamic and variable environmental conditions characteristic of estuaries could represent challenges to the persistence of restored mussel beds. To assess whether there are spatial differences in mussel responses to transplantation within an estuarine environment, six experimental mussel beds of adult green-lipped mussels (Perna canaliculus) were established along an environmental gradient in a small estuarine harbour in northern New Zealand. Transplanted mussel beds were sampled immediately after installation and again at 3 and 9 months later. Minor differences in the density, length and condition index of mussels were identified among the six sites over the course of the study; however, their responses were typically similar across sites. These results suggest that these mussels have the capacity to establish themselves within estuarine environments and that their subsequent performance once transplanted onto the seafloor appears to be determined by other site-specific factors, such as the presence of predators and the degree of exposure to storm waves.

Citation

van Kampen, P., Jeffs, A., Kelly, S., & Wilcox, M. (2025). Mussel Restoration Across an Estuarine Environmental Gradient: Implications for Site Selection. Fishes, 10(12), 653.

TNC Authors