D. S. Borisova, E. V. Lisitskaya^*, V. I. Ryabushko

A.O. Kovalevsky Institute of Biology of the Southern Seas of RAS, Sevastopol, Russia

^* e.lisitskaya@gmail.com

Abstract

In 2023, a comprehensive study was performed near the mussel and oyster farm in the outer roadstead of Sevastopol to monitor the hydrological, hydrochemical and hydrobiological characteristics of seawater. The study aims to investigate the seasonal dynamics of hydrological and hydrochemical parameters of seawater and the density of Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 mussel larvae in the plankton. Meroplankton samples were collected monthly from the 0–10 m layer using a Juday net. The live material was processed by counting pelagic larvae of benthic invertebrates in a Bogorov chamber under MBS-9 and Micmed-5 light microscopes. At the same time, water samples were taken in the surface water layer to determine the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen concentration, BOD5, permanganate index in an alkaline medium, concentrations of nitrites, nitrates, phosphates and ammonium. In 2023, the surface water temperature was minimum in February (8.1 °C) and maximum in August (26.5 °C). The water salinity was 17.70–18.50‰ with an average value of 18.23‰. The oxygen saturation of the waters varied from 93 to 126.6%, and hypoxia was not observed throughout the year. During the study period, the maximum density of mussel larvae (82 ind.∙m⁻³) was recorded in March at a water temperature of 9°C, whereas the autumn peak was not observed. The results of the monitoring showed moderate correlation (0.51) between water temperature and the number of bivalve larvae in the plankton. The effect of nutrients on the density of Mytilus galloprovincialis larvae was not established. The results confirm that the conditions in the farm’s waters are favourable for shellfish cultivation and underscore the need for continued monitoring.

Keywords

mariculture, nutrients, meroplankton, Bivalvia, Black Sea

Acknowledgments

We thank S. V. Shchurov for his help in collecting the material. This work was carried out under IBSS state research assignment “Comprehensive study of the functioning mechanisms of marine biotechnological complexes with the aim of obtaining bioactive substances from hydrobionts” (no. 124022400152-1).

For citation

Borisova, D.S., Lisitskaya, E.V. and Ryabushko, V.I., 2025. Density Dynamics of Mussel Larvae Mytilus galloprovincialis Lamarck, 1819 and Hydrological and Hydrochemical Parameters on a Marine Farm in the Waters of Sevastopol (the Black Sea). Ecological Safety of Coastal and Shelf Zones of Sea, (4), pp. 147–156.

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