Settlement preference of the brown mussel, Modiolus metcalfei, Hanley and its implication on the aquaculture potential of the species

Abstract

A study on the settlement preference of M. metcalfei was made in Banate Bay, Iloilo, using four types of materials as spat collectors. During the six-month study period, not a single Modiolus spat was found in any of the materials tested. Spats were found attached to the posterior half of living adult mussels collected for related studies. Tests with empty Modiolus shells and bamboo fish corrals as spat collectors showed negative results indicating that settlement response in the brown mussel is elicited by the presence of living animals.