engleski

Prospects of integrating mussel and fish farms

Fish farms offer an alternative to continued overfishing, but extensive mariculture can negatively impact ecosystem functioning. Eutrophication resulting from degradation of fish feed not assimilated into fish biomass can impact ecosystem functioning by contributing to phytoplankton blooms and anoxia. Integrating mussel and fish farm offers a way to increase production while decreasing the environmental impact (Frankić et al. 2003). Mussel can reduce emmisions of fish farms by feeding on particulate organic matter and phytoplankton density. Productivity of mariculture operation thereby increases as well because a proportion of fish feed can be recycled by the mussels. We present a theoretical study aimed at quantifying the effects of integrating mussels with fish farms areas with different water exchange rates. We also suggest optimum mussel stock and placement of mussels relative to the fish as a function of water exchange rates. Our model takes into account crucial elements of the integrated mariculture ecosystem: emissions of organic matter, its degradation, phytoplankton growth, and mussel growth. Most of the fish feed entering the water column is acquired by the fish. Fish assimilate a proportion of acquired feed into biomass, and either excrete the rest of particulate and dissolved organic matter, or use it for metabolic work and excrete it in inorganic form which can serve as nutrients for phytoplankton. Particulate organic matter can be acquired by mussel, or dissolved into dissolved organic matter which , in turn, degrades into nutrients for phytoplankton. Phytoplankton utilises available nutrients for growth and serves as food for mussels. We use blue fin tuna (Thunnus sp.) and mussels (Mytilus sp.) as our model organisms.

fish; mussel; mariculture; integrated aquaculture; model

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