ABSTRACT: Clearance rate (CR) was measured in blue mussels Mytilus edulis L. from Aiguillon Bay and the Oosterschelde using 3 different methods: the flow-through method, the bio-deposition method and the indirect or clearance method. CR differed significantly as a function of the method used and of the origin of the mussels. CR measured with the bio-deposition method were significantly lower than rates measured with the other methods. Results for the flow-through method depended, however, on how CR was calculated. CR using the flow-through and indirect methods was on average 10.0 l g-1 h-1 in mussels from Aiguillon Bay and 5.3 l g-1 h-1 in mussels from the Oosterschelde. The significantly lower CR of mussels from Oosterschelde was related to condition index and gill area, but could not entirely be explained by these factors.
KEY WORDS: Clearance rate · Intercalibration · Method · Mussels · Gill area · Condition
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