Dynamic biomass growth model for Mytilus chilensis in longline culture systems

A dynamic biomass growth model for the mussel Mytilus chilensis in longline culture systems in proposed. This model determines the biomass by estimating the average weight and the number of mussels per meter of seeded rope, using real data. The average weight is estimated using the von Bertalanffy model modified to incorporate the availability of food in the environment and the reproductive cycle given by the Meat Yield Index, which is the quotient between the meat weight and the total weight. Therefore, the average weight is determined by the availability of food and the biological growth of the species. The model assumes that the number of mussel individuals per meter in the rope is the result of both the species intraspecific competition among M. chilensis individuals and the interspecific competition with individuals of the mytilid Aulacomya atra for the available space in the same seeded rope. The growth rate, the occupied surface and the presence percentage of M. chilensis and A. atra were used to model the competition for the available space. The study was performed at the Rilán basin in the Chiloé Island, southern Chile, during an 18-month period. The results obtained were an R² adjusted = 0.98, 0.93, and 0.94 for the variation in size, lineal density and biomass, respectively, which indicate that the proposed dynamic model can be used to predict the biomass over time.