A caged mussel pilot study was conducted between February and April, 1997 in Port Valdez, Alaska. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility of using transplanted mussels to monitor effluent from the Ballast Water Treatment Facility (BWTF) at a depth of 70 meters, where mussels are not normally found. A total of 2100 Pacific blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) were transplanted from the intertidal zone in Anderson Bay to 7 stations in the vicinity of Alyeska?s BWTF effluent diffuser for a period of 56 days. The three most important questions to be answered by this study were the following: Will the mussels survive? Will the mussels grow? Will they accumulate chemicals associated with the BWTF effluent?
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