Thursday, April 7, 2011

Fish farm waste can drift to distant shores

New research shows aquaculture discharge may not disperse evenly in open water. Concentrated waste plumes from fish farms could travel significant distances to reach coastlines, according to a study to be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Environmental Fluid Mechanics, available online now. Roz Naylor, Oliver Fringer and Jeffrey Koseff of the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford University found that relatively high concentrations of dissolved waste from fish pens do not consistently dilute immediately.

The paper is the first detailed look at how 'real world' variables, such as tides, currents, the earth's rotation and the physical structure of the pens themselves, influence the flow of waste from fish farms. The research, which was funded by the Lenfest Ocean Program, can serve as an important tool for determining the impacts of aquaculture discharge on waterways and surrounding shorelines. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Aquaculturists, published and supported by the International Aquafeed Magazine from Perendale Publishers
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