Evaluating the relationships amongst deposition, benthic footprint, and biological and chemical indicators at active salmon aquaculture sites: A deep-water Newfoundland setting

21-N-01

Description

Waste from aquaculture sites can move and settle in the areas surrounding the farm sites. This area is the benthic zone of influence. Waste that builds up in this area can impact that environment. It can change what organisms are present, in what numbers and how they relate to each other. Modelling can predict how the waste from farms will move and impact the surrounding area.

For this model to be accurate, it needs to be tested against real life data. How the waste moves depends on the amount of waste reaching the seafloor. It also depends on how the water moves in the area (like tide ranges, currents and wave activity). These factors can impact what area is affected and how.

This project measures the benthic zone of influence during the first 2 years of farming. This information will test how well the existing models can predict the area of impact. This project will test existing models: Predicted Exposure Zone (PEZ) and DEPOMOD.

This project aims to:

1. continue to test visual indicators of the health of an area, including vulnerable indicators for marine life like corals and sponges
2. test spatial patterns identified in a previous project (20-N-01)
3. measure the amount of waste deposited across transects going away from the farm sites to help improve model predictions and possibly predict the intensity of impact
4. study comparisons between observed and predicted benthic footprints

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2021 - 2023

Principal Investigator(s)

Andry Ratsimandresy, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region

Email: andry.ratsimandresy@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Dounia Hamoutene, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station, Maritimes Region

Email: dounia.hamoutene@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team Member(s)

• Fred Page, Senior Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station, Maritimes Region
• Brent Law, Sedimentologist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Maritimes Region
• Ed Horne, Research Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Maritimes Region
• Shannon Cross, Technician, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador Region
• Vanessa Zions Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Maritimes Region
• Susan Haigh, Physical Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritimes Region
• Mitchell O’Flaherty, Physical Scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maritime Regions

Collaborator(s)

• Aaron Bennett, Compliance and Certification Manager, MOWI