She said the decline of mussels isn’t due to just one factor – warming ocean water, increases in human harvesting and the introduction of new predatory invasive species all appear to play a role.The marine environment will suffer, she said, if they continue to decline, and it’s possible they could become extinct in some areas.Scott Morello, a researcher who has studied mussels with The Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research & Education in Maine, said Sorte’s work reflects observations that people who work on the water have made in recent years.“It’s not just scientists,” he said. Why are New England's wild blue mussels disappearing? The Gulf of Maine's once strong population of wild blue mussels is disappearing, scientists say. PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — New England is running out of mussels.The Gulf of Maine’s once strong population of wild blue mussels is disappearing, scientists say. UCI-led study tracks the decline of important coastal shellfish. We’re losing the habitats they create,” Sorte said.Disheartening, and also sometimes a smelly nuisance. We’re losing the habitats they create,” she said.Disheartening, and also sometimes a smelly nuisance. Credit: Kylla Benes / UCI Irvine, Calif., Aug. 9, 2016 — The Gulf of Maine coastline, historically home to one Unusually heavy, wild-caught, closed mussels may be discarded as they may contain only mud or sand. A study led by marine ecologists at the University of California at Irvine found the numbers along the gulf coastline have declined by more than 60 percent over the last 40 years.Once covering as much as two-thirds of the gulf’s intertidal zone, mussels now cover less than 15 percent.“It would be like losing a forest,” said biologist Cascade Sorte, who with her colleagues at the university conducted the study and recently published their findings in the Global Change Biology journal.The Gulf of Maine stretches from Cape Cod to Canada and is a key marine environment and important to commercial fishing.

When 17-year-old Harry Bullock of North Attleboro, Mass., was nearing the pinnacle of his Boy Scouting career, he had to decide on an Eagle Scout... (Kylla Benes/University of California, Irvine via AP)Connect with the definitive source for global and local news A study says the mussels have declined dramatically in the Gulf of Maine. She said the decline of mussels isn’t due to just one factor — warming ocean water, increases in human harvesting and the introduction of new predatory invasive species all appear to play a role.The marine environment will suffer, she said, if they continue to decline, and it’s possible they could become extinct in some areas.Scott Morello, a researcher who has studied mussels with The Downeast Institute for Applied Marine Research & Education in Maine, said Sorte’s work reflects observations that people who work on the water have made in recent years.“It’s not just scientists,” he said. Why are New England's Wild Blue Mussels Disappearing? (Kylla Benes/University of California, Irvine via AP)In this 2014 photo provided by the University of California, Irvine, a blue mussel clings to a rock at Mount Desert Island, on the Maine coast. A 2016 scientific study said the mussels, which are beloved by seafood fans, have declined dramatically in the Gulf of Maine. The vast majority of the mussels that people eat are farmed, and most that are available to U.S. consumers are imported from other countries, such as Canada.Mussel farming is dependent on wild mussels, which produce the larvae needed for the farmed shellfish to grow. The vast majority of the mussels that people eat are farmed, and most that are available to U.S. consumers are imported from other countries, such as Canada.Mussel farming is dependent on wild mussels, which produce the larvae needed for the farmed shellfish to grow. “I can tell you that most residents I’ve talked to, most fishermen I’ve talked to will point out the same dramatic decrease in mussels.”The nationwide value of wild blue mussels has reached new heights in recent years, peaking at more than $13 million at the dock in 2013 — more than twice the 2007 total. Find out more.