The market
value of mussels can also be affected by biofouling by limiting growth
through competition for food and space and by reducing the aesthetic
value of the final product. In the United States, where 80% of molluscan shellfish growers use bottom
cultivation techniques, it is estimated that the cost of controlling
biofouling are $21,600,000 annually and the global cost is estimated to
be between $1.5 and $3 billion per year