MAINE PUBLIC • January 9, 2025
Wild blue mussels were once a common sight at low tide in rocky crevices along Casco Bay. But the population seems to have disappeared in over at least the past decade. Aaron Whitman with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute said predators such as invasive green crabs, a warming ocean and other factors may have pushed mussels to find shelter in the deeper subtidal zone. Blue mussels used to cover more than two-thirds of the intertidal zone in the Gulf of Maine, but are down to less than 15% of their historic habitat, according to a 2016 study. Now scientists are enlisting the public to help them locate clutches of mussels surviving in deeper water. Upcoming extreme low tides are on Jan. 10, 11, 12, 13, 28 and 29. To participate volunteers can visit the institute's ecosystem investigation network.