It has not, however,
been determined if any potential predator refuge may counteract the
associated economic costs. Additionally, it has been recognised that
recently metamorphosed starfish feed on barnacles (Saier, 2001), thus,small starfish found in mussel beds may be of benefit to producers by
helping them to remove undesired fouling organisms. The interaction
between predators and biofouled molluscs is, therefore, also of interest
to the aquaculture industry