Testing habitat suitability for shellfish restoration with small‐scale pilot experiments

Benjamin, Emilee D.; Handley, Sean J.; Jeffs, Andrew; Olsen, Louis; Toone, Trevyn A.; Hillman, Jenny R.

doi:10.1111/csp2.12878

Cited by 9 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…For example, the Nopera location tested in this study was located at the base of a large hill, potentially providing additional shade coverage compared to the more open Double Bay and Goulter Bay. Ultimately, these results emphasize the importance of careful site selection for restoration projects and echo previous calls for small‐scale trial restoration across a range of locations before full‐scale restoration (Benjamin et al, 2023; Fitzsimons et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…To our knowledge, the results of this study are the first scientific evidence of mussel restoration to the intertidal using subtidal source stock to successfully achieve high survival (>75%) over a full 12 months, comparable to levels of survival recorded in successful subtidal mussel restoration (e.g., Benjamin et al, 2023; Benjamin, Hillman, et al, 2022; Fariñas‐Franco & Roberts, 2014). Intertidal mussel reefs provide unique ecosystem services (Borthagaray & Carranza, 2007; Keough et al, 1993; Meadows et al, 1998) and are relatively less expensive to restore and monitor than subtidal reefs which require SCUBA divers or vessels (Bayraktarov et al, 2016).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

“…Due to the labyrinthine nature of the Marlborough Sounds, Kenepuru Sound has a very reduced wave fetch, greatly limiting the severity of any shoreline wave action (Heath, 1974). Additionally, prior subtidal mussel restoration in Kenepuru Sound recorded lower abundances of the eleven‐armed sea star, Coscinasterias muricata , a major local predator of mussels, compared to other parts of the Marlborough Sounds, suggesting that predation pressure is minimal in Kenepuru Sound (Benjamin et al, 2023).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Out of their depth: The successful use of cultured subtidal mussels for intertidal restoration

Toone

Hillman

Benjamin

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Ecosystem restoration has proliferated across the globe to combat widespread ecosystem decline. Translocations of viable individuals into degraded habitats form a core component of restoration efforts, but the selection of source populations poses challenges because phenotypic differences between source populations and depleted populations result in low post‐translocation survival. Intertidal mussel restoration is typically reliant on subtidal source populations despite their weaker shells, lighter weights, and poorer respiratory abilities compared to intertidal mussels. Intertidal mussel restoration using subtidal mussels has recorded very low survival, leading to suggestions that subtidal mussels are unfit for the intertidal zone, effectively eliminating the possibility of translocation‐based intertidal mussel restoration. In this study, small‐scale intertidal mussel restoration was tested using subtidal cultured mussels transplanted to paired plots, half in the lower intertidal and half in the upper subtidal. The results demonstrate the first scientific evidence of the successful restoration of intertidal mussel reefs using subtidal mussels at this scale. Specifically, one location recorded very high survival after 12 months (95.1 ± 0.6%; mean ± SE), comparable to the survival recorded in the subtidal zone (97.6 ± 0.3%). Translocations to the intertidal at the other two locations experienced mortality during the Austral summer (final survival: 81.3 ± 1.6% and 56.6 ± 7.4%), which directly correlated with exposure to extreme temperatures (>40°C). These results reveal that despite phenotypic differences, subtidal cultured mussels are potential sources for successful intertidal restoration. However, care should also be taken to avoid locations prone to high temperatures, particularly in light of a warming global environment. Ultimately, to achieve the massive upscaling in restoration called for by the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, we encourage restoration managers to think broadly about potential source populations, avoid rejections based solely on phenotypic differences, and explore every potential avenue for restoration success.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 61%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 56%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Out of their depth: The successful use of cultured subtidal mussels for intertidal restoration

Toone

Hillman

Benjamin

et al. 2023

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…Upon securing this information, conservation and restoration managers can establish evidence‐based protective areas around remnant populations, quantify the necessary extent of restoration, and identify other important characteristics (like shell length for mussels in Kenepuru Sound) to monitor over time. For example, mussel restoration efforts in Kenepuru Sound have used these baseline data to select restoration sites and determine metrics of success (Benjamin, Handley, Jeffs, et al, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multidisciplinary baselines quantify a drastic decline of mussel reefs and reveal an absence of natural recovery

et al. 2023

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The onset of the Anthropocene has coincided with enormous global declines in natural ecosystems, leading to losses in the valuable goods and ecosystem services they provide. This global decline, in conjunction with growing recognition of the ecological importance of natural ecosystems, has generated a pressing need for restoration. Effective ecosystem restoration relies on accurate identification of the cause of decline and clear metrics of success, which are only possible with baseline data of both the pre‐degradation and pre‐restoration ecosystems. However, the establishment of these baselines can be difficult as different potential information sources each have benefits and drawbacks. Determining an efficient method to balance these diverse information sources and generate robust baselines is vital to achieving the United Nations' goal of massively scaled‐up ecosystem restoration. Here we expand on the concept of multidisciplinary baselines, or the combined use of sources and methods across a wide disciplinary spectrum to establish comprehensive and reliable ecosystem baselines, and use mussel reefs in the South Island of New Zealand as a test case. Using a combination of comprehensive historical review, extensive shoreline surveys, and local ecological knowledge, we demonstrate that local mussel abundances decreased by 97% since the mid‐1960s as a result of overharvesting, leaving the extant populations scattered, small, and without recovery. This study demonstrates that harnessing multidisciplinary baselines allows for the consolidation of qualitative and quantitative estimates of ecosystem change over hundreds of years, as well as confirmation of causes of ecosystem degradation, and clear documentation of current ecosystem state beyond what is possible from any individual source. This approach to establishing ecosystem baselines also provides valuable avenues for the advancement of restoration by quantifying the temporal and geographic scales of ecosystem decline, identifying areas for intervention, and establishing clear metrics of success.

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Bottlenecks and barriers: Patterns of abundance in early mussel life stages reveal a potential obstacle to reef recovery

Toone

Hillman

South

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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Conservation and restoration projects have emerged globally to address extensive declines in mussel reefs and the ecosystem services they provide. The success of these efforts relies on the re‐establishment of self‐sustaining populations, which requires mussels to effectively undergo every stage in their complex development cycle from larvae to adult mussels. In particular, the settlement of early life stages presents a potential bottleneck for recruitment in species like the green‐lipped mussel (Perna canaliculus) that rely on juvenile settlement onto macroalgae before they transition to a reef. However, it is largely unknown whether mussels can undergo settlement in areas after overharvesting where only remnant populations remain and natural recovery is vital. In this study, wild and transplanted macroalgae were sampled in an area with historically near‐extirpated mussel reefs (Kenepuru Sound, New Zealand) to examine the patterns of abundance of plantigrades, an early mussel life stage, in a degraded environment. The results suggest that plantigrades can settle to and survive on natural substrates following the removal of mussel reefs, but not into ecologically relevant areas. Specifically, almost no plantigrades were recorded on substrates near the sea bed, the area where almost all settlement to macroalgae would naturally occur. Instead, plantigrades were primarily recorded on macroalgae on docks suspended above the sea bed. A transplantation experiment verified this trend, demonstrating that substrates transferred to surface waters recorded a 36‐fold increase in plantigrade abundance compared with substrates near the sea bed. Turbidity was significantly higher near the sea bed than near the water surface, suggesting that high turbidity following the loss of wild mussels may be hindering natural plantigrade settlement or survival. This study identifies a potential bottleneck to natural mussel recovery and demonstrates the importance of a life cycle‐informed approach to restoration that prioritizes the removal of bottlenecks at multiple life stages.

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Testing habitat suitability for shellfish restoration with small‐scale pilot experiments

Cited by 9 publications

References 48 publications

Out of their depth: The successful use of cultured subtidal mussels for intertidal restoration

Out of their depth: The successful use of cultured subtidal mussels for intertidal restoration

Multidisciplinary baselines quantify a drastic decline of mussel reefs and reveal an absence of natural recovery

Bottlenecks and barriers: Patterns of abundance in early mussel life stages reveal a potential obstacle to reef recovery

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