Low-impact rearing of a commercially valuable shellfish: sea-based container culture of European lobster Homarus gammarus in the United Kingdom

There is increasing interest in the aquaculture of high-value shellfish species such as European lobster Homarus gammarus. Recent years have seen the development of extractive rearing equipment requiring no additional feed input, including novel sea-based container culture (SBCC) systems designed sp...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Aquaculture Environment Interactions
Main Authors: LJ Clarke, RA Griffin, E Domoney, HCM Smith, LJ Tilsley, C Ellis, E Theobald, M Slater, J Scolding, S Cuthbertson, RE Jones, L Johanning, CL Daniels
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Inter-Research 2023
Subjects:
Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling
SH1-691
Ecology
QH540-549.5
Cornwall
European lobster
Homarus gammarus
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3354/aei00462
https://doaj.org/article/0de066cc2e9441a89f5cbade817a6e4e
Description
Summary:There is increasing interest in the aquaculture of high-value shellfish species such as European lobster Homarus gammarus. Recent years have seen the development of extractive rearing equipment requiring no additional feed input, including novel sea-based container culture (SBCC) systems designed specifically for lobster mariculture. Here, we report the results of a study which assessed the impact of SBCC systems on the local ecology surrounding a pilot-scale lobster farm (Lobster Grower) integrated into an existing mussel farm in St Austell Bay, Cornwall, UK, across 2 monitoring surveys. We assessed the impact of SBCC systems on the macrobenthic, epifaunal, and mobile species ecology across the study area through benthic grab sampling, drop-down camera, and baited-remote underwater video (BRUV) monitoring. We detected no changes to local sediment composition around SBCC systems, nor changes in macrobenthic diversity or community structure. Increased detritus and biodeposition originating from SBCC systems may be attracting increased epifaunal scavengers, while the presence of the containers and associated infrastructure may act as fish-aggregating devices and provide additional foraging opportunities for mobile fish. These extractive systems may provide low-impact and low-carbon opportunities for coastal mariculture in the face of increased global demand for shellfish.

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