Farmed mussels do not require any commercial feed sources as they get all of their nutrient requirements from the surrounding water. They feed by filtering mainly microscopic algae from the surrounding sea water. Overall, Chilean mussel aquaculture performs well on environmental impacts, as they require no chemical inputs, disease risk is low and naturally settling spat are used for on-growing. There are no welfare requirements for shellfish species. Regulation of mussel farming in Chile is comprehensive, and appears to be fully effective in minimising negative impacts.Rating last updated March 2023.