Ecosystem Interactions with Mussel Culture in Newfoundland Coastal Waters ...

• Main Authors: Anderson, R. M., Rivkin, R. B., Deibel, D., Thompson, R. J., Edwards, T. J., Stacey, J. E., Ryan, J. R.
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: unknown
• Published: ASC 2008 - Theme session H 2024
• Subjects: Fisheries and aquaculture; Canada; Newfoundland
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.17895/ices.pub.25243825; https://ices-library.figshare.com/articles/conference_contribution/Ecosystem_Interactions_with_Mussel_Culture_in_Newfoundland_Coastal_Waters/25243825

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.Environmental impact of bivalve aquaculture and requirements for sustainable bivalve production are closely linked. Shellfish aquaculture depends on the environment to supply food and remove degradation and waste products. Cultured bivalves consume plankton that are produced over a much wider area than the physical footprint of the shellfish farm resulting in localized, high rates of organic matter deposition and remineralization in both water column and sediments. There is thus the potential for feedback from the waste products of animal metabolism to the production of autotrophic and heterotrophic bivalve prey. We examined the impact of high density shellfish culture on pelagic and benthic ecosystem processes in a two-year field study of mussel farms and nearby reference sites on the northeast coast of the Island of Newfoundland, Canada. The farms were located in sheltered bays and differed in sustainable stocking density and time to ...