In order to meet increasing demands for high quality mussels, a new technology of mussel raft aquaculture is developing in Maine, where there is a need to improve site selection, and develop best management practices for mussel farms. Through a combination of modeling and field data collection, we will develop an expert system for the optimization of mussel raft aquaculture. In Phase II, we will perform additional field work tuning our model to include waves, raft mooring requirements, predator nets and provide output not only as mean flow through the rafts but also simulations of food particles (seston) and mussel biomass in relation to farm site selection, mussel raft design and orientation, and seeding density. The integration of oceanographic and biological models into a single PC platform will allow for convenient prediction of optimal farm site locations, necessary and cost-effective mooring requirements, appropriate mussel raft management scenarios and predicted yields. In addition to developing an expert system, we will provide a complete design guide for mussel rafts building on the results using FLOW-3D in Phase I, and covering a range of current speeds, seston concentration and wave heights to be expected in Maine and U.S. coastal waters.
