Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification

Benthic organic enrichment at 2 high-flow Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farms and at a low-flow mussel Mytilus edulis farm was studied to assess the capacity of local physical and biological processes to assimilate organic waste inputs. Geochemical metrics served as proxies for detecting potential bio...

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Main Authors: PJ Cranford, L Brager, BA Law
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Inter-Research 2022-12-01
Series:Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Online Access:https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/aei/v14/p343-361/
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author PJ Cranford
L Brager
BA Law
author_facet PJ Cranford
L Brager
BA Law
author_sort PJ Cranford
collection DOAJ
description Benthic organic enrichment at 2 high-flow Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farms and at a low-flow mussel Mytilus edulis farm was studied to assess the capacity of local physical and biological processes to assimilate organic waste inputs. Geochemical metrics served as proxies for detecting potential biological effects. High-flow sites are generally predicted to assimilate organic enrichment by flow- and wave-induced waste dispersion and metabolic processes. However, a decrease in porewater dissolved oxygen was detected out to 100 m at the salmon farm with cohesive sediments and to approximately 1000 m outside the farm with permeable sediment. Sediment oxygen consumption was responsive to the vertical flux of organic matter, resulting in hypoxic conditions. An increase in total free sulfides (H2S + HS- + S2-) in porewater was restricted to the immediate vicinity of both salmon farms. Despite exhibiting a high degree of small-scale patchiness, benthic effects were greatest at the fish farms during the pre-harvest period, regardless of season. Natural organic enrichment at the mussel farm constrained the assimilative capacity for biodeposition, resulting in substantial free sulfide accumulation. Sediment free sulfide analysis at a wide array of fish and shellfish farms showed that the ion-selective electrode method that is widely prescribed for regulatory aquaculture monitoring gave biased readings relative to methylene blue colorimetry and direct UV spectrophotometry. The ecological quality status classification system was extended to include quantitative relationships between a wide range of geochemical and biological variables employed worldwide to monitor and regulate the effects of benthic organic enrichment.
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spelling doaj.art-d29bb000a37e4c35994019fef3e057402023-02-06T15:01:19ZengInter-ResearchAquaculture Environment Interactions1869-215X1869-75342022-12-011434336110.3354/aei00447Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classificationPJ Cranford0L Brager1BA Law2Emeritus Marine, 150 Queen St., St. Andrews, New Brunswick E5B 1E2, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station, St. Andrews, New Brunswick E5B 0E4, CanadaFisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 4A2, CanadaBenthic organic enrichment at 2 high-flow Atlantic salmon Salmo salar farms and at a low-flow mussel Mytilus edulis farm was studied to assess the capacity of local physical and biological processes to assimilate organic waste inputs. Geochemical metrics served as proxies for detecting potential biological effects. High-flow sites are generally predicted to assimilate organic enrichment by flow- and wave-induced waste dispersion and metabolic processes. However, a decrease in porewater dissolved oxygen was detected out to 100 m at the salmon farm with cohesive sediments and to approximately 1000 m outside the farm with permeable sediment. Sediment oxygen consumption was responsive to the vertical flux of organic matter, resulting in hypoxic conditions. An increase in total free sulfides (H2S + HS- + S2-) in porewater was restricted to the immediate vicinity of both salmon farms. Despite exhibiting a high degree of small-scale patchiness, benthic effects were greatest at the fish farms during the pre-harvest period, regardless of season. Natural organic enrichment at the mussel farm constrained the assimilative capacity for biodeposition, resulting in substantial free sulfide accumulation. Sediment free sulfide analysis at a wide array of fish and shellfish farms showed that the ion-selective electrode method that is widely prescribed for regulatory aquaculture monitoring gave biased readings relative to methylene blue colorimetry and direct UV spectrophotometry. The ecological quality status classification system was extended to include quantitative relationships between a wide range of geochemical and biological variables employed worldwide to monitor and regulate the effects of benthic organic enrichment.https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/aei/v14/p343-361/
spellingShingle PJ Cranford
L Brager
BA Law
Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
Aquaculture Environment Interactions
title Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
title_full Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
title_fullStr Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
title_full_unstemmed Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
title_short Aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments: assimilative capacity, geochemical indicators, variability, and impact classification
title_sort aquaculture organic enrichment of marine sediments assimilative capacity geochemical indicators variability and impact classification
url https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/aei/v14/p343-361/
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