The phrase "New England" brings several things to mind: the Patriots, beautiful fall foliage, and of course, an abundance of seafood.
But if you go to New England expecting to eat mussels, scientists say you might soon be out of luck.
The wild blue mussels that used to cover two-thirds of the Gulf of Maine tidal zone are disappearing, according a study by University of California Irvine marine ecologists.
The mussels now cover less than 15 percent of the tidal zone – that's a 60 percent population decline over the past 40 years. Just last week, thousands of dead mussels washed up on the shores of Long Island.
Scientists believe the massive die-off is due to increases in human harvesting, predatory invasive species and warmer water temperatures.
"Some of the physiological studies that my colleagues have done show that they're [water temperatures] increasing beyond the capacity of the mussels to survive," says Cascade Sorte, an assistant professor of ecology at UC-Irvine and lead researcher on this study.
If the mussels continue to disappear, not only will New England suffer economically, the marine ecosystems dependent on them will be ravaged as well.
Most mussels consumed by humans are farmed in aquaculture operations but they depend on wild mussel larvae to grow.
Chief scientific officer for the Gulf of Maine Research Institute says more data is needed to determine what is causing the decline in mussels and how they're affected by warming waters and commercial harvesting.
Read More:
- Mussels Disappearing From New England Waters, Scientists Say (ABC News)
- Blue Mussels in Decline in Gulf of Maine (Maine Public Broadcasting)
