Growth performance and quality traits of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck) reared in two different sites in Tuscany

Italy is a traditional area of mussel rearing and the second most important producer in the EU: 92,000 t of the species Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck were obtained from aquaculture in 2002. However the seasonal offer of the commercial size production, realised in all coastal Italian regions (except Tuscany, Calabria and Basilicata), is not adequate to the national consumption, so that the import reached 32,760 t, in 2002. Perspectives of further development of the mussel culture are possible also in traditional areas of cultivation because an increase of consumer demand is foreseen for the next 10 years. The possibility of mussel culture expansion could be based on the exploitation of new geographical sites (characterized by high quality of the waters), and on new farming systems. Both these strategies should decrease the production cost