Recruitment of Mytilus edulis L. in the Thames estuary,with evidence for differences in the time of maximal settling along the Connecticut shore

In the Thames Estuary at the eastern end of Long Island Sound, most mussels achieve maximal gonadal development during the summer and larval settlement occurs primarily during the fall. The timing of reproductive events is several months later than has been reported for other populations of mussels in Long Island Sound but corresponds to that of mussels inhabiting the south shore of Long Island. The data support the growing body of evidence which indicates that temperature is not a major factor determining the reproductive period of this bivalve.