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Increasing seaweed crop yields through organic fertilisation at the nursery stage

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Abstract

Extractive seaweed aquaculture is gaining attention in the western Baltic Sea and in particular the co-cultivation with other species for bioremediation or nutrient delivery. However, there are still limitations to viable seaweed production yields in a brackish habitat with a short production period for Saccharina latissima. This investigation presents the specific growth-enhancing effect of Mytilus edulis on the seaweed early nursery stages during the hatchery and during the grow out period at sea in a Baltic fjord. Gametogenesis and juvenile sporophyte development were evaluated with and without blue mussels during 9 weeks of seaweed hatchery. The presence of mussels resulted in a significantly higher abundance of large multicellular sporophytes. After the hatchery period, seedling lines were transferred into the field and installed both in the direct vicinity of and 25 m away from mussel culture ropes. The previously observed supporting effect of mussel co-culture on seaweed development during the hatchery period was still visible after 6 months at sea. Sporophytes were larger, had a higher biomass and had higher carbon content if previously combined with mussels in the hatchery. This investigation suggests that the co-cultivation of seaweed and mussels during seaweed hatchery can increase seaweed crop yields in the following grow out period at sea, with the possibility of being certified organic.

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Acknowledgments

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of Tim Staufenberger, Verena Sandow and Susanne Woldmann during experimental trial, Marion Zenthoefer for critical discussion and Jennifer Taylor for comments on the manuscript. The project was supported by funds of the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gesellschaft für Marine Aquakultur (GMA) mbH, Hafentörn 3, 25761, Büsum, Germany

    Yvonne Rößner & Carsten Schulz

  2. Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Olshausenstraße 40, 24098, Kiel, Germany

    Yvonne Rößner & Carsten Schulz

  3. Coastal Research and Management (CRM), Tiessenkai 12, 24159, Kiel, Germany

    Peter Krost

Authors
  1. Yvonne Rößner
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  2. Peter Krost
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  3. Carsten Schulz
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Correspondence to Yvonne Rößner.

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Rößner, Y., Krost, P. & Schulz, C. Increasing seaweed crop yields through organic fertilisation at the nursery stage. J Appl Phycol 26, 753–762 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0269-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10811-014-0269-7

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