Feeding strategies for land-based cultivation of the common periwinkle Littorina littorea
This is a suggestion for a Degree Project for Bachelor's and Master's levels at the Department of Marine Sciences. Degree projects at the Department of Marine Sciences are done independently and must be written and assessed individually.
Subject: Marine Biology
Start: Spring/Summer 2026
Level: Bachelor or Master’s (30–60 hp)
Supervisor: Susanne Lindegarth
Location: Tjärnö marine laboratory
Project background
The common periwinkle (Littorina littorea) is a dominant intertidal gastropod in the North Atlantic and a species of established culinary value, being a mandatory item on shellfish plateaus in southern Europe. Despite this, L. littorea is neither collected, farmed or marketed in Scandinavia.
There is potential for developing farming practices for these snails with cost-effective methods, aimed for niche, top-end seafood restaurants in Sweden. Parallel projects have focused on selective field collection of juvenile L. littorea as a potential low-impact seed strategy.
The next step is to assess whether collected juveniles can be efficiently reared in land-based systems and which feeding strategy best supports growth and survival.
The periwinkle is a grazer that naturally feeds on algal biofilms and macroalgae. In a laboratory setting, two scalable feed types are of particular interest: fresh Ulva spp. and algal microfilms (biofilm on hard substrates).
Objectives
The objective of this thesis is to evaluate the feasibility of land-based nursery and early grow-out of juvenile Littorina littorea. Specifically, the study aims to compare growth and survival under different feeding strategies, using Ulva spp., algal microfilms, and a mixed diet, in order to identify suitable husbandry practices for future experimental aquaculture.
Methodology
Juvenile Littorina littorea collected from the field will be acclimated and reared in shallow land-based tanks supplied with filtered seawater.
A controlled feeding experiment will be conducted with replicated treatments using Ulva spp., algal microfilms on grazing substrates, and a combined diet. Growth, survival, and basic water-quality parameters will be monitored over an experimental period, and performance will be compared among treatments using standard statistical analyses.
Contact
Susanne Lindegarth
Project coordinator
Email: susanne.lindegarth@marine.gu.se