Biological assessment for a blue mussel ocean aquaculture experiment in Rhode Island Sound

Abstract

This report assesses the potential biological impacts on certain protected species of the deployment of a longline for growing blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) in Rhode Island Sound. The proposed project is a scientific research experiment designed to test the feasibility of offshore aquaculture from engineering, biological, and economic perspectives. The proposed project is small in scale, limited in duration, and located in an area of the ocean that is known to be only a minor, nonessential habitat for the protected species of concern. Of crucial significance to the relevant protected species and to the project, the project's geographic location is not believed to be critical habitat in even the broadest sense of the term. The project does not involve feeding mussels or treating the mussels with any type of pharmaceuticals. The project relies upon a set of spat from naturally occurring stocks in the region. As a result, the project principal investigators believe that the potential for adverse effects on individuals or stocks of protected species or on their environment is extremely small.