Differential growth of the mussels Perna perna and Perna viridis (Bivalvia: Mytilidae) in suspended culture in the Golfo de Cariaco, Venezuela.

We evaluated the growth of mussels Perna perna and Perna viridis in suspended culture in the Golfo de Cariaco in Venezuela. Juveniles were cultured for up to 13 mo on cultch strings suspended from longline, with monthly sampling for determination of shell length and dry weights of shell and soft tissues. Water temperature, oxygen, salinity, chlorophyll a, seston, and shell fouling were also monitored. In both species, growth during the first 5 mo (the stratification period in the region) was slow. Subsequently, the onset of the coastal upwelling period (November/December) generated lower temperatures and higher plankton levels, correlated with higher growth rates, particularly in P. perna, which by the end of the experiment had reached a mean length 1.3-fold greater than that of P. viridis (95.3 ± 7.91 vs. 73.3 ± 6.99 mm) together with a 1.9-fold greater somatic tissue. Likewise, reproductive activity differed between the two species, P. perna showing a higher gonad development and its reproductive activity starting earlier than that of P. viridis. Our results show that P. perna presents higher growth and survival than P. viridis in suspension culture, a fact related to a greater tolerance to the environmental characteristics of the Golfo de Cariaco.