EVALUATING ECOSYSTEM-LEVEL BENTHIC EFFECTS OF FINFISH AQUACULTURE IN COASTAL NOVA SCOTIA

Abstract

Increased production of finfish aquaculture in coastal ecosystems is leading to greater concerns of the spatiotemporal effects of benthic organic enrichment. While the effects of organic enrichment have been studied extensively within the vicinity of cages, less is known of the dispersal hundreds of meters beyond the cage boundaries, termed far-field. The goal of this research is to examine the benthic spatial-temporal far-field effects from a net-pen finfish farm in Port Mouton Bay, Canada. Using a spatially dense sampling strategy and macroinfauna as indicators as ecosystem health, results showed the effect of organic enrichment to be restricted to within the farm lease (Chapter 2). Over a three-year fallowing period, changes in benthic conditions within the farm lease were observed, as farm stations became more similar in composition to the surrounding stations (Chapter 3). These results can provide researchers with spatially explicit insights to the potential benthic effects of finfish aquaculture.