SURVIVAL IN AIR OF THE BLUE MUSSEL MYTILUS-EDULIS-L AS A SENSITIVE RESPONSE TO POLLUTION-INDUCED ENVIRONMENTAL-STRESS

Mussels, Mytilus edulis, were exposed for periods of 6 weeks at variou s locations in Dutch coastal waters during 1989 and 1990. ''Survival i n air'' showed to be a sensitive response parameter for indicating pol lution induced environmental stress in transplanted mussels sampled fr om eight field sites. Increased tissue contaminant levels, especially PCBs and PAHs, correlated with a reduced survival time during aerial e xposure. Three weeks exposure of mussels in the laboratory to 1 mug.l- 1 PCB s affected the aerial survival time negatively. Laboratory exper iments did not indicate that lowered salinity influences the ''Surviva l in air'' response after sufficient acclimation (15 days), facilitati ng the use of this response parameter in both marine and estuarine wat ers.