The economic impact of aquaculture expansion: An input-output approach

While the expansion of aquaculture production can confer positive economic impacts, under certain conditions, aquaculture can also have negative environmental impacts. Understanding the total economic impacts of aquaculture expansion is therefore necessary in order to make informed decisions when weighing economic considerations against environmental concerns. This paper considers the wider economic impacts, both direct and indirect of expansion in the Irish aquaculture industry. By disaggregating the aquaculture sector from Ireland's 2010 Input-Output table and calculating the resultant Leontief inverse matrix a number of economic multipliers for the aquaculture sector are estimated and used to calculate the potential indirect impacts of expansion. These multipliers are then used to estimate the economic impacts of reaching the targets set out in the recently published Irish national strategic plan for sustainable aquaculture, highlighting the potential for such an expansion to contribute to the rural economy.     

Economic impact of climate change and climate change adaptation strategies for fisheries sector in Solomon Islands: Implication for food security

Fisheries resources play a major role in the national economy and to food security in Solomon Islands. Climate change is likely to have a substantial impact on fish production that can lead to a fragile food security condition in the country. This paper assesses the potential economic impact of three important climate change adaptation strategies – natural resource management (NRM), fish aggregating devices (FAD) and aquaculture – in Solomon Islands. The study used a country-specific partial equilibrium economic model with six fish sub-sectors and analyzed potential impact of alternate climate change adaptation strategies for 2035 and 2050. The modeling and scenario analyses show that total fish demand is likely to surpass domestic fish production in 2050. Without appropriate climate adaptation strategy, per capita consumption of domestically produced fish will decline, which has serious negative food security implications for the country. The economic (welfare) analysis conducted based on modeling results show that the national level net economic gains due to climate change adaptation strategies are substantial. If cost and topographic conditions permit, low-cost inshore FADs are expected to be a good mechanism for augmenting domestic supplies of tuna and similar species in Solomon Islands.     

Failure of swim bladder inflation of perch,Perca fluviatilis L. found in natural populations

Perch suffering from swim bladder inflation failure (sinkers) are reported from wild populations of Lakes Constance, Geneva, Lucerne, Sempach, and Zurich in central Europe. Sinkers were found at all 7 locations considered in a survey. Relative abundance of sinkers varied from 0.1% to 7.9% of local perch populations. Sinkers from wild populations and sinkers reared in the laboratory showed similar behaviour and malformations. Information on sinker syndrome in 26 physoclistous species is compiled. It is found to be a widespread problem in aquaculture, but is reported here for the first time from natural populations.     

Coastal pollution due to increasing nutrient flux in aquaculture sites

The supply of nitrogen and phosphorus in coastal zones through time is reflected in the nutrients’ concentration in the sediment record. Five aquaculture sites in the Philippines were investigated in an effort to establish how long-term changes in land and coastal water use could have led to biogeochemical modifications affecting the coastal ecosystem. Samples from study sites show a narrow concentration range for nitrogen and did not reveal any significant trend through time. In contrast, phosphorus concentrations in most sites start at less than 20 ppm in sediments 30 years and older. The phosphorus value continuously increase in younger sediments, with each site having a different magnitude change as well as timing of when the major increase happened. The uppermost 10 cm, representing the last 15 years in sites with age control, typically show a 2- to 3-fold increase in P load values. Historical increase in nutrient load also coincides with harmful algal bloom events in each area; when effective P input exceeded 130 kg/km² per year. Lastly, the observed increase may be attributed to several factors including physical attributes of the area, urbanization of coastal zones, but most importantly in the proliferation of aquaculture activities.     

Plant growth and the performance of mangrove wetland microcosms for mariculture effluent depuration

This study established wetland microcosms that were either unplanted or planted in monoculture with native mangrove species in Taiwan (Avicennia marina, Rhizophora stylosa, and Lumnitzera racemosa) for the purpose of receiving high-salinity mariculture effluents; additionally, the microcosms operated at different hydraulic retention times (HRTs). Plant growth and the performance of the microcosms with respect to pollutant removal were investigated. The results showed that seedlings of all three mangrove species survived and grew sufficiently well under continuous flooding. The presence of mangroves consistently improved SS, BOD₅, and TP removal, particularly under short HRT conditions. The mangrove microcosms removed pollutants from the mariculture effluents with efficiencies of 5.7-27.1% (SS), 4.9-36.3% (BOD₅), 18.7-29.9% (TP), 21.2-49.8% (NH₄-N), and 5.4-37.7% (NO_x-N). A. marina and L. racemosa were more tolerant of continuous flooding than R. stylosa. However, no species displayed consistently superior performance in decreasing all pollutant-related parameters investigated. For all pollutants, microcosms operating at a 2-d HRT exhibited a higher removal efficiency than those operating at a 0.5-d HRT.     

亚热带河口区对虾养殖池塘浮游植物初级生产力变化

浮游植物初级生产力是评估水产养殖系统结构与功能的基础环节,对渔业资源的开发与管理具有重要意义.于2018年5-10月,采用黑白瓶法对闽江河口区的3个南美白对虾养殖塘(Pond Ⅰ、Pond Ⅱ和Pond Ⅲ)水体浮游植物初级生产力进行了原位监测,初步研究了初级生产力在池塘间的差异性及其时间变化特征.结果显示,养殖期间养...     

Distinguishing between natural and aquaculture-derived sediment concentrations of heavy metals in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia

Marine sediment samples were collected in the Broughton Archipelago, British Columbia, to assess the use of a geochemical normalization technique in the identification of a chemical tracer of aquaculture waste material. Zinc and copper were suggested as tracers of feed pellets, while copper was considered an indicator of anti-foulant agents used on netpen systems. The sediment samples were analyzed for carbon, nitrogen, organic matter, water, trace-element, and free sulfide concentrations, and sediment grain-size distribution. Sediment texture analysis revealed a wide range of substrate types from sand to silty loam categories. Strong relationships between sediment texture, sediment porosity, and organic content were observed across both near-field and far-field stations. Excess zinc and copper sediment concentrations, identified using a lithium-normalization technique, were restricted to near-field sampling stations (0 and 30m from netpen systems). The relationships between these metal tracers and organic content and sulfur concentrations were explored to account for variations in sediment concentrations of zinc and copper.     

Macroalgal bioindicators (growth, tissue N, delta(15)N) detect nutrient enrichment from shrimp farm effluent entering Opunohu Bay, Moorea, French Polynesia

Nutrient enrichment from shrimp aquaculture poses an increasing environmental threat due to the industry's projected rapid growth and unsustainable management practices. Traditional methods to monitor impacts emphasize water quality sampling; however, there are many advantages to bioindicators, especially in developing countries. We investigated the usefulness of three bioindicators -- growth, tissue nitrogen content and nitrogen stable isotope signature (delta(15)N) -- in the tropical red macroalga Acanthophora spicifera. Algae were collected, cultured, and deployed in a spatial array around the outflow from a shrimp farm in Moorea, French Polynesia, to detect nitrogenous wastes. All three parameters were highest adjacent to the shrimp farm indicating nutrient enrichment, and delta(15)N values confirmed the shrimp farm as the dominant nutrient source (5.63-5.96 per thousand). Isotope ratios proved the most sensitive indicator, as delta(15)N signatures were detected at the most distant sites tested, confirming their usefulness in tracing nutrients and mapping the spatial extent of enrichment.