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Mass balance of fishponds: are they sources or sinks of phosphorus?

  • Carp pond aquaculture, product processing and quality
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Abstract

Fishponds exhibit high natural retention potential for phosphorus, which enters the ponds from non-point, diffuse and point sources, as well as from aquaculture management. Results of phosphorus mass balance monitoring of nine large fishponds (60–449 ha) over 2010–2014 revealed total phosphorus retention ranging between −66 % (sink) and +52 % (release) of the P loads from inflows, i.e. specific P retention varied between −7.83 g m−2 (sink) and 1.00 g m−2 (release) of surface area, per one fish production cycle. Retention of P was eliminated by application of fertilizers (with simultaneous fish feed application) during fish production process and/or by massive P release from fishpond sediments after previous heavy loads. P retention could be increased by preference of surface water outflow instead of bottom discharge and/or also by minimizing of emissions of suspended sediment particles during a fish harvesting. The real role of fishponds in transport processes of P throughout a watershed could be eruditely assessed only by following newly proposed method called “new approach” when P input (via inflows) and P output (via outflows) are compared with natural fishpond ability to retain P, which is determined by a simple model proposed by Hejzlar et al. (2006). For evaluation of effect of actual fishery management, the “culture-balance” method is suitable too. If the P inputs (stocked fish, fertilizing, feeding) and outputs (harvested fish) derived from fishery practice were in balance, the P retention did not decline. However, in condition of inputs > outputs, the P retention appreciably ceased or was totally eliminated. It was concluded that fishponds could serve as an important sink of P transported throughout a watershed even under semi-intensive fish (common carp) production condition.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic—projects “CENAKVA” (No. CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0024) and “CENAKVA II” (No. LO1205 under the NPU I program). The authors are grateful to fishery companies Rybářství Třeboň a.s., Rybářství Hluboká cz. s.r.o, Blatenská ryba, s.r.o and Rybářství Kardašova Řečice s.r.o. for providing fishery production data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Water Management Laboratory, State Enterprise, Vltava River Authority, E. Pittera 1, 370 01, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Jan Potužák

  2. Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, Institute of Aquaculture and Protection of Waters, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Husova tř. 458/102, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Jan Potužák, Jindřich Duras & Bořek Drozd

  3. Department of Water Management Planning, State Enterprise, Vltava River Authority, Denisovo nábřeží 14, 304 20, Plzeň, Czech Republic

    Jindřich Duras

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  1. Jan Potužák
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Correspondence to Jan Potužák.

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Guest editors: Zuzana Linhartová and Jan Mráz/Carp pond aquaculture, product processing and quality.

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Potužák, J., Duras, J. & Drozd, B. Mass balance of fishponds: are they sources or sinks of phosphorus?. Aquacult Int 24, 1725–1745 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-016-0071-4

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