The size of this increase would be very important in assessing the feasibility of this method.
However, the fact that concentrated hydrated lime baths are being used to remove starfish from spat collectors suggests the mortality rates would not rise to a level that renders this practice useless.
It is also important to note that the mussels in these trials experienced more handling stress, and potentially suboptimal living conditions, which could have contributed to their mortality, meaning that a decrease may also be seen in practical application.