A food-web model as a tool for the ecosystem-level management of bivalves in an Atlantic coastal lagoon

Weiwei Jiang; Francesca Coppola; Zengjie Jiang; Rosa Freitas; Yuze Mao; Zhijun Tan; Jinghui Fang; Jianguang Fang; Yitao Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106117

A food-web model as a tool for the ecosystem-level management of bivalves in an Atlantic coastal lagoon

Mar Environ Res. 2023 Sep:190:106117. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106117. Epub 2023 Jul 25.

Authors

Weiwei Jiang¹, Francesca Coppola², Zengjie Jiang³, Rosa Freitas⁴, Yuze Mao¹, Zhijun Tan⁵, Jinghui Fang¹, Jianguang Fang¹, Yitao Zhang⁶

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266200, China.
² CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal.
³ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China; Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Laoshan Laboratory, Qingdao, 266200, China. Electronic address: jiangzj@ysfri.ac.cn.
⁴ CESAM & Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, 3810-193, Portugal. Electronic address: rosafreitas@ua.pt.
⁵ State Key Laboratory of Mariculture Biobreeding and Sustainable Goods, Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁶ Rongcheng Chudao Aquaculture Corporation, Rongcheng, 264312, China.

PMID: 37540962
DOI: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2023.106117

Abstract

The Ria de Aveiro is an important coastal lagoon for wildlife in Portugal, where the production of bivalves reaches approximately 2700 tons annually. However, the illegal overfishing of bivalves is frequent in this lagoon, which causes critical changes in the ecosystem. In this study, using a developed food-web model (Ecopath model), the ecological carrying capacity (ECC) and maximum sustained yield (MSY) of the Manila clam, Ruditapes philippinarum were estimated, and the effects of further increases in clam biomass on other species were investigated. The results showed that 1) the current biomass and legal catch of R. philippinarum do not yet exceed the ECC (172.40 tons km^-2) or the MSY (86.20 tons km^-2 year^-1) in Ria de Aveiro; 2) the harvested Manila clams of the MSY represent removing from the ecosystem ∼ 581 tons carbon (C) and ∼83 tons nitrogen (N) annually, with substantial ecological and economic implications; and 3) a further increase in the biomass levels of this species may cause the ecotrophic efficiency of other groups to become unrealistic, potentially leading to decreases in ecosystem transfer efficiency, biodiversity and health. The results here are expected to guide the sustainable development and management of bivalve aquaculture in Ria de Aveiro and the protection of the local environment.

Keywords: Ecological carrying capacity; Ecopath model; Maximum sustained yield; Ria de Aveiro; Ruditapes philippinarum.

MeSH terms

Animals
Bivalvia*
Conservation of Natural Resources
Ecosystem*
Fisheries
Food Chain