Potential to produce brown mussel integrated to a net-cage fish farm in a Mediterranean bay Medhioub W. auteur aut IRD Challouf R. auteur aut IRD Laabir Mohamed auteur aut IRD Limayem Y. auteur aut IRD Bchir S. auteur aut IRD Slimeni W. auteur aut IRD El Amri D. auteur aut IRD Hamza A. auteur aut IRD Mahfoudhi M. auteur aut IRD Leblad B. R. auteur aut IRD Medhioub M. N. auteur aut IRD Abadie E. auteur aut IRD Rolland J. L. auteur aut IRD Azaza M. S. auteur aut IRD text journalArticle eng text/pdf reformatted digital access In this study, we investigated the potential exploitation of the brown mussel Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) in an aquaculture farm (Monastir Bay, Mediterranean Sea, Tunisia). The quality of seawater as well as performance indicators such as Condition Index, length, weight, growth and frequency distribution of the mussel were determined over an annual cycle; from July 2017 to August 2018. Interestingly, P. perna has an extended sexual cycle during the year with two main spawning periods, the first in spring and the second in autumn, when suspended matter and Chlorophyll a were at their maximum concentrations in seawater. Spat mussels and young mussels showed significant growth rates from 1 July 2017 to 31 October 2017. Adult mussels exhibited negative allometric growth and a modal size of 41 to 50 mm. Results showed that several potentially toxic microalgae species developed at low densities in this marine zone. By using Solid Phase Adsorption Toxins Tracker (SPATT); lipophilic toxins including Okadaic acid and yessotoxins were detected at low levels in seawater and may be involved in the positive LSTs (lipophilic shellfish toxins) mouse bioassays in P. perna during the autumn. No other toxins such as paralytic shellfish toxins or amnesic shellfish toxins nor pathogenic bacteria or viruses were detected in P. perna. Altogether, our results suggest that finfish farms in Monastir Bay could be suitable sites for farming P. perna. specialized Brown mussel growth performance Potentially toxic microalgae Microbiological contamination Mediterranean bay TUNISIE MEDITERRANEE 040 034 038 Aquaculture Reports 31 101674 [14 ] 2023 2352-5134 https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010090116 10.1016/j.aqrep.2023.101674 2352-5134 [F B010090116] https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010090116 https://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/2023-10/010090116.pdf IRD - Base Horizon / Pleins textes 2023-10-06 2025-02-24 fdi:010090116 fre