Abstract
Artificial reefs (AR) have been deployed below commercial fish farms in tropical, subtropical and temperate marine locations in an effort to reduce some of the negative effects of aquaculture, and this study describes an AR deployment at a boreal site. This study examined the development and succession of two benthic communities on artificial reefs in the Icelandic fjord, Skutulsfjörður. Two plastic, triangle-shaped, porous artificial reefs were moored on the seafloor: a) below a cod farm and b) at a nearby reference site, and were monitored for 4 months, on a bi-weekly basis by SCUBA divers. Monitoring included both visual observations, mainly of the motile biota, and subsampling of the fouling community by removing pieces of plastic mesh that were attached to the reefs for this purpose. Diverse biological communities developed on the artificial reefs at both fish farm and reference sites; however, overall species richness, abundance and sessile species cover were consistently greater at the farm site. Although the biota recorded were typical boreal species, many of the same taxa observed in warmer waters, in similar studies, were found on these reefs. Artificial reefs are one of many options that may be considered to enhance the sustainability of coastal aquaculture, and we suggest that: a) ARs should be studied over the course of a year or more, and b) efforts should be made to consider how we may harvest the biota associated with the ARs for commercial use.
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Acknowledgments
We thank the Álfsfell Farm crew: Davíð and Hallgrímur Kjartansson and Kjartan Davíðsson who kindly hosted us at their farm and provided both transportation and data; Náttúrustofa Vestfjarða (Westfjords Natural History Institue); Dr. Þorleifur Eiríksson for providing their facility to analyze our samples; Ralf Trylla for diving gear and a special thanks to Arni Helgason for help in constructing the artificial reefs and to Sveinbjörn Simbi Hjálmarsson and Leifur Bremnes for their assistance in the field. Lastly, a warm thanks to Liene Tiesnesene who provided a home and a hot meal after every sampling dive.
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Communicated by J. M. Weslawski
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Israel, D., Gallo, C. & Angel, D.L. Benthic artificial reefs as a means to reduce the environmental effects of cod mariculture in Skutulsfjörður, Iceland. Mar Biodiv 47, 405–411 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0490-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-016-0490-5