Environmental responses to organic and inorganic effluents from fin-fish Aquaculture

The rapid development of the Norwegian Salmonid industry requires a management regime based on strong scientific knowledge that can also meet the expected challenges for the industry of tomorrow. There is an increasing focus on the environmental responses of coastal and fjord ecosystems to organic and inorganic effluents which will further increase with predicted future production levels and the restructuring of the industry towards larger farming units and clustering of farms. Our scientific competence in environmental impacts of fin-fish aquaculture, one of the core areas of research, monitoring and advice giving at the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) for the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries is of high importance. To keep at the forefront of scientific excellence, IMR are leading "the Strategic Initiative - ERA" to further develop our existing research methods, infrastructure and basic knowledge to improve our scientific risk assessment and advice on management strategies for fin-fish aquaculture at both current and future production levels. This "Strategic Initiative" organized key personnel at IMR into an international multidisciplinary platform to address key research priorities outlined by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, within specific areas of environmental impacts of aquaculture. The research priorities that will be addressed are: 1) Increasing research capacity of benthic impacts from large scale fin-fish aquaculture at high energy localities; 2) Identifying selection criteria for suitable aquaculture localities and the environmental conditions that need to be avoided; 3) Initiating research on the impact of fin-fish aquaculture on vulnerable habitats; 4) Further develop the MOM monitoring system to be applicable at larger scales than the present system and for different benthic habitat types to be included; and 5) Develop and modify existing modeling simulation tools to predict environmental impacts from aquaculture. ERA was frameworked into four integrated work packages (WP). WP1 was aimed to increase knowledge on the background physical environment and to modify existing tools to predict environmental impacts from aquaculture; WP2 was aimed to elucidate and quantify the dispersal and accumulation of fish farming effluents into marine ecosystems and their associated biota, whilst providing necessary data for the quantification of models being developed in WP1; The third WP (WP3) was developed to elucidate the effects of organic and nutrient enrichment on the structure and functioning of marine benthic ecosystems; The last work package (WP4) aimed to developed to synthesis data from each WP, to effectively disseminate the research findings to the environmental managers, industry, scientific community, general public, and to establish cross linkages with existing research projects. The results generated from ERA provided a sound understanding on the interactions of organic effluents from coastal aquaculture facilities and marine coastal ecosystems. WP1 successfully collected key data to increase our understanding on the interactions of hydrodynamics, organic particles and substrate type on the spread and accumulation of organic waste in marine habitats. WP2, has been successful in generating a toolbox of tracers that can be used to trace effluents from marine aquaculture into marine ecosystems and associated fauna. While, WP3 significantly advanced our knowledge on how effluents from aquaculture effect the structure and functioning of coastal habitats, and what the potential consequences of these effluents may have on coastal marine organisms. Under WP4, considerable public dissemination of information was undertaken throughout and at the completion of the project via multiple national and international conferences and a public meeting involving representatives from Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries, Fylkeskommunen, Fylkesmannen, environmental consultancy groups and major salmon farm companies.

ERA has facilitated a major Norwegian-driven contribution to the field of aquaculture and environmental interactions (14 publications +7 In Prep) focusing on dispersive coastal ecosystems where large capacity aquaculture is increasingly focused. The project improved understanding of how organic waste is dispersed, can be traced, and the functional chemical and ecological changes that occur on different spatial scales. The research thereby advanced our comprehension of the spatial influence of waste and how the environment responds and recovers, and in doing so, identified some novel indicators of enrichment; all of which are critical aspects for spatial planning and effective environmental management. Close collaboration with co-experts from 5 countries strengthened key relationships and transfer of knowledge. Within Norway, relationships between Government researchers, Industry and Consultancy groups were strengthened, which is important for the uptake and use of the new knowledge.

The Norwegian aquaculture industry is one of the most rapidly expanding industries in the Norwegian coastal zone, worth approximately 3.8 billion Euros annually. By 2050, it is predicted that Salmonid aquaculture will increase by 5 times current productio n levels. This expected development has led to concerns regarding its environmental sustainability due to the discharges of excess feed and faeces and nutrients to the marine environment. To address these concerns, the Institute of Marine Research has re- focused its research and advice strategies for aquaculture from 2013-2017, to further understand the consequences of discharging aquaculture effluents to the marine environment. This strategic initiative (SI) will increase competence, develop scientific knowledge and tools to understand the effects of organic and inorganic effluents to coastal marine ecosystems. Specifically, it will modify and validate existing models to provide better predictive tools to determine the dispersion of aquaculture effluent s and responses of fauna and flora in the coastal zone. The project will develop a generic tool box of traditional (i.e. fatty acids and stable isotopes) and novel (i.e. molecular and trace minerals) tracers to detect effluents into sediments and biota. T he project will also determine the effects of organic and inorganic effluents on the structure and functioning of dynamic coastal habitats from seaweed communities to deeper benthic habitats with hard and mixed bottom substrates. The project will provide new information on the effects of organic and inorganic effluents released from large scale fish farms on marine ecosystems, specifically new vulnerable habitat types. Results obtained from this SI will be vital for developing new predictive modelling to ols that can be incorporated into GIS-based decision support systems like AkvaVis. This will improve existing and future management advice for environmental managers and relevant stakeholders.