Benthic dynamics within a land-based semi-intensive aquaculture fish farm: The importance of settlement ponds

Susana Carvalho; Manuela Falcão; João Cúrdia; Ana Moura; Dalila Serpa; Miguel B. Gaspar; Maria Teresa Dinis; Pedro Pousão-Ferreira; Luís Cancela Da Fonseca

doi:10.1007/s10499-008-9227-1

Benthic dynamics within a land-based semi-intensive aquaculture fish farm: The importance of settlement ponds

Susana Carvalho^*, Manuela Falcão, João Cúrdia, Ana Moura, Dalila Serpa, Miguel B. Gaspar, Maria Teresa Dinis, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira, Luís Cancela Da Fonseca

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

7 Scopus citations

Abstract

The present work aims to assess the importance of settlement ponds (SP) in semi-intensive fish farms by studying benthic dynamics in an aquaculture fish farm, more specifically in the water reservoir (WR) and SP and also in production (P) and nonproduction (C) ponds during a 16-month period. In Portugal, a SP is only mandatory for intensive fish farms, and another objective of the present study is to assess the importance of these areas in semi-intensive fish farms. The WR was the area with highest diversity and evenness, as well as the higher number of exclusive taxa and taxa sensitive to organic enrichment. P and SP samples showed signs of higher disturbance levels, emphasized namely by the association of the opportunistic annelids Capitella spp. and Tubificidae. However, the benthic data from SP points to lower disturbance levels than P both due to an increase in the percentage of sensitive taxa observed in June and October 2004 and by the association of this latter sample with water reservoir samples as evidenced by canonical correspondence analysis. Moreover, a higher and increasing number of taxa when compared with the P area were also observed. Therefore, in semi-intensive fish farms, where effluents from P ponds are directly discharged to the lagoon, the potential environmental impacts would be more severe. In conclusion, the imposition of SP in semi-intensive fish farms should be considered, especially because most fish farms are located within relevant wetland areas.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	571-587
Number of pages	17
Journal	Aquaculture International
Volume	17
Issue number	6
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-008-9227-1
State	Published - Dec 2009
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank P. Pereira, F. Leitão, H. Saldanha, A. Silva, I. Ferreira, P. Vasconcelos and J. Guerra for technical support during sampling and laboratory work, as well as the technicians from the fish farm for feeding and controlling fish production. We are also indebted to C. Martins and M. L. Inácio for their help in field and laboratory analyses. The present investigation was financially supported by the projects ‘‘Tecnologias de Produc¸ão Aquícola’’ MARE (22-05-01-FBR-00014-QCAIII) and PROMAR (INTERREG III A) ‘‘Cooperac¸ão Algarve—Andaluzia para a promoc¸ão de Re-cursos Aquícolas Marinhos no Litoral Atlântico Sul’’, as well as by a Ph.D. grant from Fundac¸ão para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/8521/2002).

Keywords

Fish farming
Macrobenthic communities
Organic enrichment
Settlement ponds
Southern Portugal

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Aquatic Science
Agronomy and Crop Science

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10.1007/s10499-008-9227-1

Cite this

@article{c549abfd17ae4889a256abd97870c4ca,

title = "Benthic dynamics within a land-based semi-intensive aquaculture fish farm: The importance of settlement ponds",

abstract = "The present work aims to assess the importance of settlement ponds (SP) in semi-intensive fish farms by studying benthic dynamics in an aquaculture fish farm, more specifically in the water reservoir (WR) and SP and also in production (P) and nonproduction (C) ponds during a 16-month period. In Portugal, a SP is only mandatory for intensive fish farms, and another objective of the present study is to assess the importance of these areas in semi-intensive fish farms. The WR was the area with highest diversity and evenness, as well as the higher number of exclusive taxa and taxa sensitive to organic enrichment. P and SP samples showed signs of higher disturbance levels, emphasized namely by the association of the opportunistic annelids Capitella spp. and Tubificidae. However, the benthic data from SP points to lower disturbance levels than P both due to an increase in the percentage of sensitive taxa observed in June and October 2004 and by the association of this latter sample with water reservoir samples as evidenced by canonical correspondence analysis. Moreover, a higher and increasing number of taxa when compared with the P area were also observed. Therefore, in semi-intensive fish farms, where effluents from P ponds are directly discharged to the lagoon, the potential environmental impacts would be more severe. In conclusion, the imposition of SP in semi-intensive fish farms should be considered, especially because most fish farms are located within relevant wetland areas.",

keywords = "Fish farming, Macrobenthic communities, Organic enrichment, Settlement ponds, Southern Portugal",

author = "Susana Carvalho and Manuela Falc{\~a}o and Jo{\~a}o C{\'u}rdia and Ana Moura and Dalila Serpa and Gaspar, {Miguel B.} and Dinis, {Maria Teresa} and Pedro Pous{\~a}o-Ferreira and {Cancela Da Fonseca}, Lu{\'i}s",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank P. Pereira, F. Leit{\~a}o, H. Saldanha, A. Silva, I. Ferreira, P. Vasconcelos and J. Guerra for technical support during sampling and laboratory work, as well as the technicians from the fish farm for feeding and controlling fish production. We are also indebted to C. Martins and M. L. In{\'a}cio for their help in field and laboratory analyses. The present investigation was financially supported by the projects {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Tecnologias de Produc¸{\~a}o Aqu{\'i}cola{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright} MARE (22-05-01-FBR-00014-QCAIII) and PROMAR (INTERREG III A) {\textquoteleft}{\textquoteleft}Cooperac¸{\~a}o Algarve—Andaluzia para a promoc¸{\~a}o de Re-cursos Aqu{\'i}colas Marinhos no Litoral Atl{\^a}ntico Sul{\textquoteright}{\textquoteright}, as well as by a Ph.D. grant from Fundac¸{\~a}o para a Ci{\^e}ncia e a Tecnologia (SFRH/BD/8521/2002).",

year = "2009",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1007/s10499-008-9227-1",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "17",

pages = "571--587",

journal = "Aquaculture International",

issn = "0967-6120",

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AU - Carvalho, Susana

AU - Falcão, Manuela

AU - Cúrdia, João

AU - Moura, Ana

AU - Serpa, Dalila

AU - Gaspar, Miguel B.

AU - Dinis, Maria Teresa

AU - Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro

AU - Cancela Da Fonseca, Luís

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PY - 2009/12

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AB - The present work aims to assess the importance of settlement ponds (SP) in semi-intensive fish farms by studying benthic dynamics in an aquaculture fish farm, more specifically in the water reservoir (WR) and SP and also in production (P) and nonproduction (C) ponds during a 16-month period. In Portugal, a SP is only mandatory for intensive fish farms, and another objective of the present study is to assess the importance of these areas in semi-intensive fish farms. The WR was the area with highest diversity and evenness, as well as the higher number of exclusive taxa and taxa sensitive to organic enrichment. P and SP samples showed signs of higher disturbance levels, emphasized namely by the association of the opportunistic annelids Capitella spp. and Tubificidae. However, the benthic data from SP points to lower disturbance levels than P both due to an increase in the percentage of sensitive taxa observed in June and October 2004 and by the association of this latter sample with water reservoir samples as evidenced by canonical correspondence analysis. Moreover, a higher and increasing number of taxa when compared with the P area were also observed. Therefore, in semi-intensive fish farms, where effluents from P ponds are directly discharged to the lagoon, the potential environmental impacts would be more severe. In conclusion, the imposition of SP in semi-intensive fish farms should be considered, especially because most fish farms are located within relevant wetland areas.

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KW - Macrobenthic communities

KW - Organic enrichment

KW - Settlement ponds

KW - Southern Portugal

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Benthic dynamics within a land-based semi-intensive aquaculture fish farm: The importance of settlement ponds

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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