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Reducing nutrient impacts from shrimp effluents in a subtropical coastal lagoon

Reducing nutrient impacts from shrimp effluents in a subtropical coastal lagoon
Reducing nutrient impacts from shrimp effluents in a subtropical coastal lagoon
Shrimp farm aquaculture causes environmental impacts, notably decreased water quality due to the release of nutrient-rich effluents. Pond wastewater is usually discharged without treatment, and tidal conditions are not taken into account in the management plans. However, natural variability of nutrients makes difficult field evaluation and attribution of impacts. Here we implemented a three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model (spatial resolution = 50 m × 50 m, time resolution = 4 s) in order to evaluate the dispersion conditions under specific tidal conditions of nutrient discharges from a semi-intensive shrimp farm during spring and neap tide. Ammonia was quickly assimilated by plankton and its concentration recovered initial levels 10 days after the beginning of the harvest. Due to the higher salinity of the pond effluents, shrimp farm discharges accumulate in waters and sediments of the upper lagoon creeks, mostly affecting the benthos, thus implying a potential risk of shrimp farm self-contamination. Maximum concentrations of most biogeochemical tracers occurred when the harvest ends and the ponds are fully emptied. We show that maximum nutrient concentrations can be reduced by ~ 10% when the harvest ends during spring tides compared to harvests ending during neap tides. This work may be useful to improve the management of shrimp farm effluents by reducing, easily and at little cost, nutrient impacts on tropical and sub-tropical receiving ecosystems.
Aquaculture, Shrimp farm, Biogeochemical model, Tidal cycle, Coastal zone management, Gulf of California
0048-9697
388-397
Cardoso-Mohedano, José-Gilberto
3f282d87-e3ca-4188-99ef-3bdfbdae4824
Bernardello, Raffaele
a252abfc-4c78-4cdb-98ff-4befe0366c08
Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert
11c92549-3858-478a-95b5-6830c195f177
Páez-Osuna, Federico
f6d00abb-e05e-4782-819b-ec1539e99ca9
Ruiz-Fernández, Ana-Carolina
1418a027-0a36-437b-bc07-114ac22935ce
Molino-Minero-Re, Erik
46dc8597-491a-467b-b918-ac754c2051d1
Cruzado, Antonio
37861993-040a-4cf0-87fb-a68bfc5e1755
Cardoso-Mohedano, José-Gilberto
3f282d87-e3ca-4188-99ef-3bdfbdae4824
Bernardello, Raffaele
a252abfc-4c78-4cdb-98ff-4befe0366c08
Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert
11c92549-3858-478a-95b5-6830c195f177
Páez-Osuna, Federico
f6d00abb-e05e-4782-819b-ec1539e99ca9
Ruiz-Fernández, Ana-Carolina
1418a027-0a36-437b-bc07-114ac22935ce
Molino-Minero-Re, Erik
46dc8597-491a-467b-b918-ac754c2051d1
Cruzado, Antonio
37861993-040a-4cf0-87fb-a68bfc5e1755

Cardoso-Mohedano, José-Gilberto, Bernardello, Raffaele, Sanchez-Cabeza, Joan-Albert, Páez-Osuna, Federico, Ruiz-Fernández, Ana-Carolina, Molino-Minero-Re, Erik and Cruzado, Antonio (2016) Reducing nutrient impacts from shrimp effluents in a subtropical coastal lagoon. Science of the Total Environment, 571, 388-397. (doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.06.140).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Shrimp farm aquaculture causes environmental impacts, notably decreased water quality due to the release of nutrient-rich effluents. Pond wastewater is usually discharged without treatment, and tidal conditions are not taken into account in the management plans. However, natural variability of nutrients makes difficult field evaluation and attribution of impacts. Here we implemented a three-dimensional coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model (spatial resolution = 50 m × 50 m, time resolution = 4 s) in order to evaluate the dispersion conditions under specific tidal conditions of nutrient discharges from a semi-intensive shrimp farm during spring and neap tide. Ammonia was quickly assimilated by plankton and its concentration recovered initial levels 10 days after the beginning of the harvest. Due to the higher salinity of the pond effluents, shrimp farm discharges accumulate in waters and sediments of the upper lagoon creeks, mostly affecting the benthos, thus implying a potential risk of shrimp farm self-contamination. Maximum concentrations of most biogeochemical tracers occurred when the harvest ends and the ponds are fully emptied. We show that maximum nutrient concentrations can be reduced by ~ 10% when the harvest ends during spring tides compared to harvests ending during neap tides. This work may be useful to improve the management of shrimp farm effluents by reducing, easily and at little cost, nutrient impacts on tropical and sub-tropical receiving ecosystems.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 17 June 2016
Published date: 15 November 2016
Keywords: Aquaculture, Shrimp farm, Biogeochemical model, Tidal cycle, Coastal zone management, Gulf of California
Organisations: Marine Biogeochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 401952
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/401952
ISSN: 0048-9697
PURE UUID: fa78f47c-9143-414b-8e41-9d27fb759ad7

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 24 Oct 2016 13:10
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:01

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Contributors

Author: José-Gilberto Cardoso-Mohedano
Author: Raffaele Bernardello
Author: Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza
Author: Federico Páez-Osuna
Author: Ana-Carolina Ruiz-Fernández
Author: Erik Molino-Minero-Re
Author: Antonio Cruzado

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