Climate change – A new opportunity for mussel farming in the Southern Baltic?

Abstract

Eutrophication is a major problem in most coastal waters in the Baltic Sea. Mussel farming can be an appropriate measure to remove nutrients, increase water transparency and to improve water quality. However, today mussel farming does not exist on a commercial basis in the southern Baltic Sea. The main obstacles are a lack of tradition, missing profitability and, cold winters. Ice sheets and drift ice are a threat for mussel farms and make investments risky. Data of the last 80 years show a clear reduction in the number of ice days. Climate change model projections indicate that this trend will speed up. In particular, winters shall become much warmer during this century. Already today, drift ice at the southern Baltic Sea is limited to a few years within a decade. In the future, winters with lasting ice cover will be the exception. Further, mussels benefit from increasing temperatures and farming will become more profitable. Against this background mussel farming becomes a realistic option and a potential new business in our coastal waters. [...]