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.     

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.     

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...     

大型水生昆虫龙虱及桂花蝉的生物学特性和养殖利用初步研究

描述了大型水生昆虫龙虱和桂花蝉的生物学特性并报告了它们的养殖和食用药用初步研究结果,为这两类水生昆虫在淡水水产资源和人类药物食物的开发利用提供科学依据和基础。     

Methods matter: Improved practices for environmental evaluation of dietary patterns

Making food systems more sustainable is one of humanity’s largest challenges. Over two decades of life cycle assessment research on the environmental performance of food systems has helped to inform efforts to address this challenge. In recent years, there has been much interest in aggregating the results of these studies at scales of national production, dietary patterns, and future food scenarios. The process of comparing impacts of diverse products based on extant literature presents numerous challenges which have been inadequately addressed. Drawing upon examples of greenhouse gas emissions and seafood systems, we suggest best practices to support more complete, consistent, and comparable aggregation practices. Ultimately this would lead to more robust industry and consumer decisions and public policy. We suggest to: 1) define product groups reflecting impact drivers and in accordance with study goals, 2) select studies in a transparent way whose methods are consistent, and 3) assess results in the context of actual production or consumption patterns. Applying these practices would strengthen food life cycle assessment aggregation studies as a tool guiding towards sustainable food systems.     

Cost/benefit analysis of a benthic monitoring programme of organic benthic enrichment using different sampling and analysis methods

To investigate the combined effects of decreasing taxonomic resolution (i.e. species, family, phylum), the use of different mesh-size (1.0 mm and 0.5 mm) and the type of samplers used (van Veen vs. corers taken by divers) on the quality of data obtained, a comparative study was undertaken with the overall aim of identifying cost efficient methods for routinely monitoring the ecological change caused by Mediterranean fish farming. The results clearly showed that information loss was relatively low as data were aggregated at higher taxonomic levels, particularly up to the level of family or even order. It was also found that the extra information gained by sieving samples through a 0.5 mm sieve did not improve the ability to distinguish the potentially impacted sites from the control stations. Finally, it was found that a relatively large proportion of the available information concerning the community structure such as abundance, biomass or diversity is lost when sampling is carried out with corers. A cost/benefit ratio analysis for the two sampling and the two sieving methods showed minimal values for the van Veen samples (for both sieve fractions) at the family level, indicating that analysis at this level gives the best balance between precision of the results and decrease in taxonomic effort. However, if the time needed to sort the samples is included in the analysis, then samples taken with corers using a 0.5 mm sieve and identified to families seems like a good compromise between precision and cost.     

大口黑鲈(Micropterus salmoides)不同养殖模式氮磷收支及养殖效果研究

为了揭示池塘内循环流水养殖模式(Inner-Pond Raceway Aquaculture,IPRA)氮磷收支变化及养殖效果情况,阐明其生态特征及营养物质的来源与归宿,合理评价IPRA的经济与生态效益,通过定期采样计算氮磷的输入和输出项目,同时设置传统常规养殖池塘(usual pond aquaculture,UPA)为对照组。结果表明:(1)两种养殖模式中,饲料是池塘氮、磷输入的主要来源,分别占IPRA和UPA池塘氮输入的95.02%±2.31%和94.57%±1.82%,占两种模式磷输入的93.19%±2.75%和91.81%±4.44%;(2)底泥沉积是氮、磷输出的主要方式,占IPRA和UPA氮输出的45.16%±1.31%和53.98%±1.48%,占磷输出的40.28%±3.19%和59.59%±4.45%,差异显著(P0.05),其次是养殖产出,IPRA渔获物氮输出比例37.73%±0.91%高于UPA的35.07%±0.99%,差异不显著(P0.05),磷输出比例25.50%±1.77%显著高于UPA的20.78%±1.33%(P0.05);(3)IPRA对氮的绝对和相对利用率高于UPA,但差异不显著(P0.05),而对磷的利用率显著高于UPA (P0.05), IPRA提高了养殖对象对氮、磷的吸收利用率;(4) IPRA耗水系数、排水系数及排污系数均显著低于UPA (P0.05),但IPRA养殖效益显著高于UPA (P0.05)。综上所述, IPRA是一种清洁高效的新型养殖模式,可以进行推广应用。本研究旨在为今后更好地开展IPRA水质管理和科学养殖提供数据支撑,同时为IPRA模式在节水生态、经济效益等评价方面提供理论依据。     

The long and bumpy journey: Taiwan׳s aquaculture development and management

This paper presents an overview of Taiwan׳s aquaculture development and management, focusing on the transition of the industry and the current management measures that particularly address environmental effects, ecolabels and diversification into tourism and ornamental fish business. Since the late 1980s when Taiwan׳s aquaculture in its heyday was pounded by emergent environmental problems, a policy was established on enhancing governance over aquaculture, in seeking to transform it towards an environmentally, economically and socially sustainable industry. The paper shows that positive outcomes have been achieved after the policy measures have been implemented over the past two decades. However, potential challenges of ongoing environmental impacts, conflicts regarding multiple sea uses, concerns on seafood safety, lack of management of “black” farms, low market penetration of ecolabeled products and lack of participative management were identified. It argues for the need to encourage ICZM programs to solve sea use conflicts and minimize environmental impacts, reduce “black farms” to fill the management gap, enhance market shares of ecolabeled products and a transition to a more participative mode of governance.     

The sustainable development goals: A case study

The Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs [44] are an ambitious step towards sustainable development, taking a much broader view of sustainability than ever achieved previously, yet practical challenges remain, including how to implement change. The aims of this research were to determine how an influential aquaculture company in Australia - Tassal, Tasmania's largest salmon aquaculture company - perceived the SDGs, and to ascertain the motivations and barriers for Tassal to work towards implementing the goals. Interviews were conducted with leaders, employees and external business partners. Tassal was not aware of the SDGs prior to this project, but were open to considering implementing them in their current sustainability practices. The survey responses were analysed using the Values-Rules-Knowledge (vrk) framework of decision making. Key findings were: 1) corporate and personal values were the key component driving Tassal's positive responses to the SDGs; 2) awareness of the SDGs resulted in Tassal recognising the potential gains from engaging with some of the seemingly less aquaculture-related goals (such as health and wellbeing). These findings demonstrate that businesses can fruitfully engage with the SDGs, even without government requirements or societal expectations, if they are prepared to broaden their interpretation of business sustainability and be reflective about their values. The vrk model is a potentially useful addition to current SDG and sustainability tools, such as those of the UN Global Compact, as a way to diagnose organisational barriers to adopting practices aligned with the SDGs. An emerging area of importance to social, economic and environmental sustainability – social license – was also identified as implicit in many, but not explicit in any of the SDGs.