Beyond the cage: Ecosystem modelling for impact evaluation in aquaculture

Tatiana M. Tsagaraki, George Petihakis, Kostas Tsiaras, George Triantafyllou, Manolis Tsapakis, Gerasimos Korres, George Kakagiannis, Constantin Frangoulis and Ioannis Karakassis

Ecological Modelling, 2011, vol. 222, issue 14, 2512-2523

Abstract: An ecosystem modelling approach was used in two areas of the Eastern Mediterranean in order to examine the effects of aquaculture on the ecology of the water column. Aquaculture expansion to meet demands of a growing population is followed by concerns about keeping impacts within socially acceptable limits. Primarily the study aimed at investigating the fate of nutrients from finfish culture and evaluating changes in chemical and biological characteristics of the water body. The model used, Aquaculture Integrated Model (AIM), is based on a complex generic biogeochemical model coupled to a 3D hydrodynamic model. Selected areas included a finfish farm in the Northern Aegean, Greece and an aquaculture development area in Vassiliko, Cyprus. Ecosystem effects were evaluated on the basis of scale and importance. Scenarios under different production levels and hydrodynamic conditions were explored at the sites. Model results showed that farm discharges are rapidly dispersed from their point source in addition to a tendency for effluents to accumulate at distances not normally associated directly with farming activity. The wide range of parameters available in the model helped identify parameters more likely to be affected by the farming activities. There was a satisfactory correlation between observed and predicted model outputs. This study demonstrates the importance of approaching aquaculture impacts at an ecosystem level and the utility of a modelling tool to this end.

Keywords: Aquaculture; Modeling tool; Impacts; Ecosystem approach; Mediterranean (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:222:y:2011:i:14:p:2512-2523

DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2010.11.027

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