They will present the results of a project that seeks to characterize and evaluate natural mussel banks

The event will take place in a hybrid format, through Zoom and in person from the Hotel de Castro, on December 4th starting at 14:30 hours.

The Fisheries Research Program from the Puerto Montt Headquarters of the Universidad Austral de Chile, together with Fisheries Development Institute (IFOP) and the INCAR Center Invite to the presentation of the results of the FIPA 2023-01 project "Characterization and ecological and genetic assessment of natural mussel banks and their contribution to the availability of larvae for the seed collection activity. Stage 1: Reloncaví Fjord and the communes of Hualaihué and Castro."

The general objective of this project was to carry out an ecological and genetic assessment of the main natural mussel banks in the Reloncaví Estuary and the communes of Hualaihué and Castro, as well as to determine their contribution to larval availability for the seed collection activity.

The specific objectives, meanwhile, focused on:

* Identify the main natural beds of mussels in the Reloncaví Fjord and the communes of Hualaihué and Castro.

* Carry out a general status assessment of natural banks, considering abundance, coverage, density, biomass, vertical distribution, sexes, size structure and associated community, with emphasis on the different species that could affect the mussel banks.

* Genetically characterize natural banks, considering the vertical gradient, using SNP markers, to support the traceability of the different species of the genus Mytilus present in the study area and identify possible banks with populations or individuals of exotic species.

* Generate a mass sequencing tool to establish and relate the geographical origin of the new recruits in the natural banks and the seeds captured in the collectors, with respect to the previously identified natural banks.

The event will take place in a hybrid format, through Zoom and in person from the Hotel de Castro, on December 4th starting at 14:30 hours.

Those who wish to participate can do so after registration in the mail katherine.espinoza@uach.cl