Offshore mussel aquaculture: new or just renewed?

The increase on the demand for marine products and the decrease of the wild marine population has led to the culturing of several marine species. Within the molluscs the mussel is the second largest product by volume of marine aquaculture. Mussels are an ideal species for culture in the open ocean, referred to as offshore aquaculture. Several different systems are available for offshore mussel culture. This paper is a review of the technology available to date for offshore mussel aquaculture. The primary conditions for the design of an offshore culturing structure are also presented. More research and new designs are needed in the area of open ocean mussel culturing. A multi-disciplinary approach to the design is necessary for future successful developments.