Environmental impact of kelp (Saccharina latissima) aquaculture

Wouter Visch; Mikhail Kononets; Per O J Hall; Göran M Nylund; Henrik Pavia

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110962

Environmental impact of kelp (Saccharina latissima) aquaculture

Mar Pollut Bull. 2020 Jun:155:110962. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110962. Epub 2020 May 18.

Authors

Wouter Visch¹, Mikhail Kononets², Per O J Hall², Göran M Nylund³, Henrik Pavia³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Marine Sciences, Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96 Strömstad, Sweden. Electronic address: wouter.visch@marine.gu.se.
² Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 461, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden.
³ Department of Marine Sciences, Tjärnö Marine Laboratory, University of Gothenburg, SE-452 96 Strömstad, Sweden.

PMID: 32469791
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.110962

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of seaweed cultivation on the coastal environment. We analysed a multitude of environmental parameters using an asymmetrical before after control impact (BACI) design, comparing the seaweed farm (impact) with multiple unaffected locations (controls). The seaweed farm had a significant positive effect on benthic infauna (p<0.05) and was found to attract 17 mobile faunal and 7 other seaweed species, indicating that the farmed crop may provide habitat to mobile faunal species. A light attenuation of approximately 40% at 5m depth was noted at the peak of the seaweed biomass just before harvest. No changes were observed in benthic oxygen flux, dissolved nutrient concentrations, and benthic mobile fauna between farm and control sites. These results show that seaweed aquaculture has limited environmental effects, especially compared to other forms of aquaculture such as fish and bivalve farming.

Keywords: Aquaculture; Benthic oxygen uptake; Environmental impact; Kelp; Saccharina latissima; Seaweed.

MeSH terms

Animals
Aquaculture
Environment
Kelp*
Phaeophyceae*
Seaweed*