SpringerLink
Log in

The fouling of fish farm cage nets as bioindicator of aquaculture pollution in the Adriatic Sea (Croatia)

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A fouling assemblage (including density, species richness and diversity, and biomass) growing on netting of fish farm cages was investigated in Stracinska Bay—Location 1 and Peles Bay—Location 2 (Croatia) in order to test the efficiency of fouling as a bioindicator of organic pollution. A total number of 40 algal taxa in Location 1 and total number of 22 algal taxa in Location 2 were identified, with a dominance of opportunistic species (ESG II). We found domination of algal species over animal species and absolute dominance of Rhodophyta which are typical fouler in the Adriatic Sea. Low diversity and species richness with increase in value of the R/P index (occasionally higher than 6) were recorded in Location 2, indicating a certain impact of nutrient enrichment from fish culture facilities on a fouling community structure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (France)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Angel, D. L., & Spanier, E. (2002). An application of artificial reefs to reduce organic enrichment caused by net-cage fish farming: Preliminary results. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 59, S324–S329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ballesteros, E., Pérez, M., & Zabala, M. (1984). Aproximación al conocimiento de las comunidades algales de la zona infralitoral superior en la costa catalana. Collectanea Botanica, 15, 69–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Black, K. D. (2001). Sustainability of aquaculture. In Environmental effects of aquaculture (pp. 199–212). Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belsher, T. (1977). Analyse des répercusions de pollutions urbaines sur les macrophytobenthos de Méditerranée (Marseille, Port-Vendres, Port-Cros). Thèse Doctorat 3o cycle. Université d’Aix_Marseille II. 287 pp.

  • Beveridge, M. C. M. (1996). Cage aquaculture (p. 346). Oxford: Blackwell Fishing News Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borowitzka, M. A. (1972). Intertidal algal species diversity and the effect of pollution. Australian Journal Marine Freshwater Research, 23, 73–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boudouresque, C. F. (1971). Methodea detude qualitative et quantitative du benthos (en paticulier du phytobenthos). Tethys, 3(1), 79–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Calcagno, J. A., López Gappa, J., & Tablado, A. (1998). Population dynamics of the brancales Balanus amphitrite in an intertidal area affected by sewage pollution. Journal of Crustacean Biology, 18, 128–137.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheah, S. H., & Chua, T. E. (1979). A preliminary study of the tropical marine fouling organisms on floating net cages. Malayan Natural Journal, 33, 39–48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coppejans, E. (1983). Iconographie d’Algues Mediterraneene (p. 317). Vaduz: Bibliotheca Phycologica.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costello, M. J., Emblow, C. S., & White, R. (2001). European register of marine species. A check-list of marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Patrimoines Naturels, 50, 463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duncan, D. B. (1955). Multiple range and multiple F tests. Biometrics, 11, 1–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Feldmann, J. (1937). Les algues marines de la côte des Albères. I–III. Cyanophycées, Chlorophycées, Phaéophycé es. Revue Algologique, 9, 149–335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golubic, S. (1970). Effect of organic pollution on benthic communities. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 1, 56–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hargrave, B. T., Phillips, G. A., Doucette, L. I., White, M. J., Milligan, T. G., Wildish, D. J., et al. (1997). Assessing benthic impacts of organic enrichment from marine aquaculture. Water Air Soil Pollution, 99, 641–212.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hodson, S. L., Burke, C., & Lewis, T. E. (1997). Biofouling of fish-cage netting: Efficacy and problems of in situ cleaning. Aquaculture, 152, 77–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Igic, L. J. (1995). Prikaz obrastaja u Jadranskom i drugim svjetskim morima—Biolosko znacenje. Pomorski zbornik, 33, 329–356.

    Google Scholar 

  • Igic, L. J. (1999). The significance of fouling investigation for the estimation in the construction of marinas. Acta Adriatica, 40(1), 7–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalaman, V. V. (2001). Fouling communities of mussel aquaculture installations in the white sea. Russian Journal of Marine Biology, 27, 227–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalantzi, I., & Karakassis, I. (2006). Benthic impacts of fish farming: Meta-analysis of community and geochemical data. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 52, 484–493.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • La Rosa, T., Mirto, S., Mazzola, A., & Danovaro, R. (2001). Differential responses of benthic microbes and meiofauna to fish-farm disturbance in coastal sediments. Environmental Pollution, 112, 427–434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Littler, M. M., & Murray, S. N. (1975). Impact of sewage on the distribution, abundance and community structure of rocky intertidal macro-organisms. Marine Biology, 30, 277–291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mannino, A. M., & Sarà, G. (2008). Effects of fish-farm biodeposition on periphyton assemblages on artificial substrates in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea (Gulf of Castellammare, Sicily). Aquatic Ecology, 42, 575–581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirto, S., La Rosa, T., Gambi, C., Danovaro, R., & Mazzola, A. (2002). Nematode community response to fish-farm impact in the western Mediterranean. Environmental Pollution, 116, 203–214.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer-Pinto, M., & Junqueira, A. O. R. (2003). Effects of organic pollution on the initial development of fouling communities in a tropical bay, Brazil. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 46(11), 1495–1503.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Modica, A., Scilipoti, D., La Torre, R., Managanaro, A., & Sarà, G. (2006). The effect of mariculture facilities on water column trophodynamics as revealed by biochemical features of suspended organic matter (South Tyrrhenian, MED). Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science, 66, 177–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moran, P. J., & Grant, T. R. (1991). Transference of marine fouling communities between polluted and unpolluted sites—impact on structure. Environmental pollution, 72, 89–102.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Occhipinti Ambrogi, A. (1981). Contributo alla conoscenza dei Briozoi nella Laguna Veneta settentrionale. B, 3, 95–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orfanidis, S., Panayotidis, P., & Stamatis, N. (2003). An insight to the ecological evaluation index (EEI). Ecologie industriala, 3, 27–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parenzan, P. (1976). Carta d’identita delle conchigllie del Mediterraneo. Bivalvii parte seconda (p. 546). Tarnto: Bios-Taras.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, T. H., & Black, K. D. (2000). The environmental impacts of marine fish cage culture. In K. D. Black (Ed.), Environmental impacts of aquaculture. Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillay, T. V. R. (2004). Aquaculture and the environment (p. 208). Blackwell Publishing.

  • Qiu, J. W., Thiyagarajan, V., Leung, A. W. Y., & Quian, P. Y. (2003). Development of a marine subtidal epibiotic community in Hong Kong: Implications for deployment of artificial reefs. Biofouling, 19(1), 37–46.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riedl, R. (1991). Fauna e flora del Mediterraneo (p. 233). Padova.

  • Rodríguez-Prieto, C., & Polo, L. (1996). Effects of sewage pollution in the structure and dynamics of the community of Cystoseira mediterranea (Fucals, Phaephyceae). Science of Marine, 60, 253–263.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rönnberg, O., Ådjers, K., Ruokolahti, C., & Bondestam, M. (1992). Effects of fish farming on growth, epiphytes and nutrient content of Fucus vesiculosus L. in the A° land archipelago, Northern Baltic Sea. Aquatic Botany, 42, 109–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruokolahti, C. (1988). Effects of fish farming on growth and chlorophyll a content of Cladophora. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 19, 166–169

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saldanha, H. J., Sancho, G., Santos, M. N., Puente, E., Gaspar, M. B., Bilbao, A., et al. (2003). The use of biofouling for ageing lost nets: A case study. Fisheries Research, 64(2–3), 141–150.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarà, G. (2006). A meta-analysis on the ecological effects of aquaculture on the water column: Dissolved nutrients. Marine Environmental Research. doi:10.1016/j.marenvres.2006.10.008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarà, G., Scilipoti, D., Milazzo, M., & Modica, A. (2006). Use of stable isotope to investigate the dispersion of fish farming waste as a function of hydrodynamics. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 313, 261–270.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarà, G., Lo Martire, M., Buffa, G., Mannino, A. M., & Badalamenti, F. (2007). The fouling community as an indicator of fish farming impact in Mediterranean. Aquaculture Research, 38, 66–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Span, A., Antolic, B., & Hell, Z. (1990). Istrazivanje bioloskog aspekta obrastanja na uronjenim staklenim i plasticnim plocama i betonskim stupicima (p. 23). Split: Institut za oceanografiju i ribarstvo.

    Google Scholar 

  • Torras, X., Pinedo, S., Garcia, M., Mangialajo, L., & Ballesteros, E. (2003). Assessment of coastal environmental qualita‘ based on littoral community cartography: Methodological approach. In Proceedings of the second mediterranean symposium on marine vegetation (pp. 145–154). Reports. Athens, 12–13 December. UNEP/MAP/RAC/SPA.

  • Underwood, A. J., & Anderson, M. J. (1994). Seasonal and temporal aspects of recruitment and succession in an intertidal estuarine fouling assemblage. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of UK, 74, 563–584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Maritime Studies Split, Zrinskofrankopanska 38, 21 000, Split, Croatia

    Merica Sliskovic & Gorana Jelic-Mrcelic

  2. Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Setaliste Ivana Mestrovica 63, 21 000, Split, Croatia

    Boris Antolic

  3. Faculty of Agriculture, Svetosimunska 25, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia

    Ivica Anicic

Authors
  1. Merica Sliskovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gorana Jelic-Mrcelic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Boris Antolic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Ivica Anicic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Merica Sliskovic.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sliskovic, M., Jelic-Mrcelic, G., Antolic, B. et al. The fouling of fish farm cage nets as bioindicator of aquaculture pollution in the Adriatic Sea (Croatia). Environ Monit Assess 173, 519–532 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1402-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1402-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation