Costs of mussel farming: A meta-regression analysis

Mussel farming has emerged as a relatively low-cost measure for reducing the content of nutrients in seas, but no systematic assessment has been undertaken of the costs involved. This study estimated the cost of producing mussels by means of a meta-regression analysis. The estimation of the cost function considered different types of mussel, environmental conditions and study characteristics. In total, 23 studies were found with a total of 69 observations. Different mixed-effect regression models were used and robust results were found of statistically significant output elasticities below one, i.e. production costs increase by less than 1% when the mussel quantity increases by 1%, and that the purpose of production, human consumption or nutrient removal, wage and interest rate and ecological conditions in terms of salinity level and temperature had significant effects on the costs. The estimated cost function was transferred to mussel farming for nutrient removal in different countries in the Baltic Sea, which indicated that the costs are relatively low for mussel farming in Russia (Kaliningrad). •Meta regression analysis for estimation of costs of mussels for nutrient removal•Water salinity, temperature, wage and interest rate affect cost.•Economies of scale in mussel farming•Transfer of cost estimates to Baltic Sea countries•Large differences in marginal cost of nutrient removal between countries