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Factors affecting benthic impacts at Scottish fish farms

Factors affecting benthic impacts at Scottish fish farms
Factors affecting benthic impacts at Scottish fish farms
The factors affecting patterns of benthic [seabed] biology and chemistry around 50 Scottish fish farms were investigated using linear mixed-effects models that account for inherent correlations between observations from the same farm. The abundance of benthic macrofauna and sediment concentrations of organic carbon were both influenced by a significant, albeit weak, interaction between farm size, defined as the maximum weight of fish permitted on site at any one time, and current speed. Above a farm size threshold of between 800 and 1000 t, the magnitude of effects at farms located in areas of elevated current speeds were greater than at equivalent farms located in more quiescent waters. Sediment concentrations of total organic matter were influenced by an interaction between distance and depth, indicating that wind-driven resuspension events may help reduce the accumulation of organic waste at farms located in shallow waters. The analyses presented here demonstrate that the production and subsequent fate of organic waste at fish farms is more complex than is often assumed; in isolation, current speed, water depth, and farm size are not necessarily good predictors of benthic impact.
0013-936X
2079-2084
Mayor, Daniel J.
a2a9c29e-ffdc-4858-ad65-3a235824a4c9
Zuur, Alain F.
5d65336f-0f72-4ea4-aad2-b1d343267ae0
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Paton, Graeme I.
5f61bac0-8b35-438f-b880-58346767c210
Killham, Ken
0331c809-c043-44fa-bb77-aa612ab641b4
Mayor, Daniel J.
a2a9c29e-ffdc-4858-ad65-3a235824a4c9
Zuur, Alain F.
5d65336f-0f72-4ea4-aad2-b1d343267ae0
Solan, Martin
c28b294a-1db6-4677-8eab-bd8d6221fecf
Paton, Graeme I.
5f61bac0-8b35-438f-b880-58346767c210
Killham, Ken
0331c809-c043-44fa-bb77-aa612ab641b4

Mayor, Daniel J., Zuur, Alain F., Solan, Martin, Paton, Graeme I. and Killham, Ken (2010) Factors affecting benthic impacts at Scottish fish farms. Environmental Science & Technology, 44 (6), 2079-2084. (doi:10.1021/es903073h).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The factors affecting patterns of benthic [seabed] biology and chemistry around 50 Scottish fish farms were investigated using linear mixed-effects models that account for inherent correlations between observations from the same farm. The abundance of benthic macrofauna and sediment concentrations of organic carbon were both influenced by a significant, albeit weak, interaction between farm size, defined as the maximum weight of fish permitted on site at any one time, and current speed. Above a farm size threshold of between 800 and 1000 t, the magnitude of effects at farms located in areas of elevated current speeds were greater than at equivalent farms located in more quiescent waters. Sediment concentrations of total organic matter were influenced by an interaction between distance and depth, indicating that wind-driven resuspension events may help reduce the accumulation of organic waste at farms located in shallow waters. The analyses presented here demonstrate that the production and subsequent fate of organic waste at fish farms is more complex than is often assumed; in isolation, current speed, water depth, and farm size are not necessarily good predictors of benthic impact.

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Published date: 15 March 2010
Additional Information: Publisher permissions for pdf not clear
Organisations: Marine Biogeochemistry, Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 339690
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/339690
ISSN: 0013-936X
PURE UUID: 50e5436f-dbaa-445c-8099-f3a2685d7456
ORCID for Martin Solan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0001-9924-5574

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Date deposited: 28 May 2012 16:13
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:32

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Contributors

Author: Daniel J. Mayor
Author: Alain F. Zuur
Author: Martin Solan ORCID iD
Author: Graeme I. Paton
Author: Ken Killham

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