Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Effects of intensive scallop mariculture on macrobenthic assemblages in Sishili Bay, the northern Yellow Sea of China

  • Primary Research Paper
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To elucidate the effects of scallop mariculture on the macrobenthic community in a moderate energy system, bimonthly samples from four transects along a distance gradient in Sishili Bay, the northern Yellow Sea of China, were investigated. Differences in macrobenthic community structure along the distance gradient were evaluated using univariate and multivariate analyses. The AZTI’s Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and multivariate-AMBI analyses indicated that the macrobenthic community suffered little disturbance from the scallop culture. Consistently, the results of two-way analysis of similarities demonstrated that macrobenthic communities showed no difference along the distance gradient, but were significantly affected by the sampling months and transects. This conclusion was also confirmed by other univariate and multivariate analyses. The concentration of total organic carbon was 17.27 ± 6.05 mg g−1, which is below the dangerous threshold of 35 mg g−1 toxic to benthic fauna. Combined results revealed that no detectable effects on the macrobenthic community were caused by intensive and long-term scallop culture in this moderate energy system. This is likely due to the influence of local hydrodynamics and it is recommended that intensive scallop farming be located in areas with strong tidal or current flows.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bigot, L., A. Gréare, J. M. Amouroux, P. Frouin, O. Maire & J. C. Gaertner, 2008. Assessment of the ecological quality status of soft-bottoms in Reunion Island (tropical Southwest Indian Ocean) using AZTI marine biotic indices. Marine Pollution Bulletin 56(4): 704–722.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borja, Á. & I. Muxika, 2005. Guidelines for the use of AMBI (AZTI’s marine biotic index) in the assessment of the benthic ecological quality. Marine Pollution Bulletin 50: 787–789.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Borja, Á. & B. G. Tunberg, 2011. Assessing benthic health in stressed subtropical estuaries, eastern Florida, USA using AMBI and M-AMBI. Ecological Indicator 11: 295–303.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borja, Á., D. M. Dauer, R. Díaz, R. J. Llansó, I. Muxika, J. G. Rodríguez & L. Schaffner, 2008. Assessing estuarine benthic quality conditions in Chesapeake Bay: a comparison of three indices. Ecological Indicator 8: 395–403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Borja, Á., J. G. Rodrígez, K. Black, A. Bodoy, C. Emblow, T. F. Fernandes, J. Forte, I. Karakassis, I. Muxika, T. D. Nickell, N. Papageorgiou, F. Pranovi, K. Sevastou, P. Tomassetti & D. Angel, 2009. Assessing the suitability of a range of benthic indices in the evaluation of environmental impact of fin and shellfish aquaculture located in sites across Europe. Aquaculture 293(3–4): 231–240.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Callier, M. D., C. W. McKindsey & G. Desrosiers, 2008. Evaluation of indicators used to detect mussel farm influence on the benthos: two case studies in the Magdalen Islands, Eastern Canada. Aquaculture 278: 77–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • China Bureau of Fisheries, 2004–2011. China Fishery Statistical Yearbook. China Agriculture Press, Beijing (in Chinese).

  • Clarke, K. R. & R. N. Gorley, 2001. PRIMER v5: User Manual/Tutorial. PRIMER-E Ltd., Plymouth.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clynick, B. G., C. W. McKindsey & P. Archambault, 2008. Distribution and productivity of fish and macroinvertebrates in mussel aquaculture sites in the Magdalen islands (Québec, Canada). Aquaculture 283: 203–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cranford, P. J., B. T. Hargrave & L. I. Doucette, 2009. Benthic organic enrichment from suspended mussel (Mytilus edulis) culture in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Aquaculture 292(3–4): 189–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crawford, C. M., C. K. A. Macleod & I. M. Mitchell, 2003. Effects of shellfish farming on the benthic environment. Aquaculture 224: 117–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Amours, O., P. Archambault, C. W. McKindsey & L. E. Johnson, 2008. Local enhancement of epibenthic macrofauna by aquaculture activities. Marine Ecology Progress Series 371: 73–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • da Costa, K. G. & R. C. Nalesso, 2006. Effects of mussel farming on macrobenthic community structure in Southeastern Brazil. Aquaculture 258: 655–663.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dahlbäck, B. & L. A. H. Gunnarsson, 1981. Sedimentation and sulfate reduction under a mussel culture. Marine Biology 63: 269–275.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dubois, S., J. C. Marin-Léal, M. Ropert & S. Lefebvre, 2007. Effects of oyster farming on macrofaunal assemblages associated with Lanice conchilega tubeworm populations: a trophic analysis using natural stable isotopes. Aquaculture 271: 336–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO, 2010. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture. FAO, Rome.

  • Fabi, G., S. Manoukian & A. Spagnolo, 2009. Impact of an open-sea suspended mussel culture on macrobenthic community (Western Adriatic Sea). Aquaculture 289(1–2): 54–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, S. P., R. C. Swartz, F. A. Cole & W. A. Deben, 1994. Optimum macrobenthic sampling protocol for detecting pollution impacts in the southern California Bight. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 29: 127–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ferraro, S. P., F. A. Cole & A. R. Olsen, 2006. A more cost-effective emap benthic macrofaunal sampling protocol. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 116: 275–290.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gaudêncio, M. J. & H. N. Cabral, 2007. Trophic structure of macrobenthos in the Tagus estuary and adjacent coastal shelf. Hydrobiologia 587: 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gibbs, T. M., 2007. Sustainability performance indicators for suspended bivalve aquaculture activities. Ecological Indicators 7: 94–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, F., P. Souchu, M. Bianchi & P. Bonin, 1997. Influence of shellfish farming activities on nitrification, nitrate reduction to ammonium and denitrification at the water sediment interface of the Thau lagoon, France. Marine Ecology Progress Series 151: 143–153.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grall, J. & M. Glémarec, 1997. Using biotic indices to estimate macrobenthic community perturbations in the Bay of Brest. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 44(Supplement 1): 43–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, J., A. Hatcher, D. B. Scott, P. Pocklington, C. T. Schafer & G. V. Winters, 1995. A multidisciplinary approach to evaluating impacts of shellfish aquaculture on benthic communities. Estuaries 18: 124–144.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Grant, C., P. Archambault, F. Olivier & C. McKindsey, 2012. Influence of ‘bouchot’ mussel culture on the benthic environment in a dynamic intertidal system. Aquaculture Environment Interactions 2: 117–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, Q. X., B. Q. Li, Q. Y. Han, Y. Zhang, Y. Q. Wang, Q. C. Wang & D. Y. Liu, 2011. Preliminary study of the impact of fishery trawling on epifauna community in the coastal water of Weihai Port. Marine Science Bulletin 30(2): 121–126. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartstein, N. D. & A. A. Rowden, 2004. Effect of biodeposits from mussel culture on macroinvertebrate assemblages at site of different hydrodynamic regime. Marine Environmental Research 57: 339–357.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hatcher, A., J. Grant & B. Schofield, 1994. Effects of suspended mussel culture (Mytilus spp.) on sedimentation, benthic respiration and sediment nutrient dynamics in a coastal bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series 115: 219–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hyland, J., L. Balthis, I. Karakassis, P. Magni, A. Petrov, J. Shine, O. Vestergaard & R. Warwick, 2005. Organic carbon contents of sediments as an indicator of stress in the marine benthos. Marine Ecology Progress Series 295: 91–103.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Inglis, G. J. & N. Gust, 2003. Potential indirect effects of shellfish culture on the reproductive success of the benthic predators. Journal of Applied Ecology 40: 1077–1089.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jia, Y. R., X. J. Liu, Y. L. Sun & C. Q. Sun, 2007. Argumentation of sewage discharge mixing zone’s area of Xin’an River sewage plant of Yantai. Marine Science Bulletin 26(2): 33–37. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaiser, M. J., 2000. Ecological effects of shellfish cultivation. In Black, K. D. (ed.), Environmental Impacts of Aquaculture. Sheffield Academic Press, Sheffield, UK: 51–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, X. Z., B. Q. Li, H. F. Wang, S. Q. Wang, J. B. Wang & B. L. Zhang, 2007. Macrobenthic community characters of Zhubi Reef, Nansha Islands, South China Sea. Acta Zoologica Sinica 53(1): 83–94. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, X. Z., B. Q. Li, H. F. Wang, J. B. Wang, X. C. Wang, J. Zhou, Q. X. Han, L. Ma, C. Dong & B. L. Zhang, 2009. Community structure of macrobenthos in coastal water off Rushan, Southern Shandong Peninsula, and the relationships with environmental factors. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 28(5): 81–93. in Chinese with English abstract.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, B. Q., X. Z. Li, H. F. Wang, J. B. Wang, Q. X. Han, C. Dong, L. Ma & B. L. Zhang, 2010. The relationship between soft-bottom macrobenthic communities and environmental variables off Ningjin, eastern Shandong Peninsula. Acta Oceanologica Sinica 29(6): 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, B. Z., 2003. Study on the Population genetics of Bay Scallop Argopecten irradians and the Molecular Phylogeny of Pectinidae. Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao: 1–105 (in Chinese with English abstract).

  • Liu, D. Y., X. H. Shen, Y. J. Wang, Y. J. Chen & L. Li, 2012a. Tracking the sources of organic matter in the surface sediments of Sishili Bay, northern Yellow Sea and the environmental implication. Acta Oceanologica Sinaca 34(5): 205–212. in Chinese with English abstract.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, D. Y., Y. J. Shi, B. P. Di, Q. L. Sun, Y. Q. Wang, Z. J. Dong & H. B. Shao, 2012b. The impact of different pollution sources on modern dinoflagellate cysts in Sishili Bay, Yellow Sea, China. Marine Micropaleontology 84–85: 1–13.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mirto, S., T. La Rosa, R. Danovaro & A. Mazzola, 2000. Microbial and meiofaunal response to intensive mussel farm biodeposition in coastal sediments of the Western Mediterranean. Marine Pollution Bulletin 40: 244–252.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muxika, I., Á. Borja & W. Bonne, 2005. The suitability of the marine biotic index (AMBI) to new impact sources along European coasts. Ecological Indicators 5(1): 19–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pearson, T. H. & R. Rosenberg, 1978. Macrobenthic succession in relation to organic enrichment and pollution of the marine environment. Oceanographic Marine Biology Annual Review 16: 229–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Petch, D. A., 1986. Selective deposit-feeding by Lumbrineris cf. latreilli (Polychaeta: Lumbrineridae), with a new method for assessing selectivity by deposit-feeding organisms. Marine Biology 93: 443–448.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinto, R., J. Patrício, A. Baeta, B. D. Fath, J. M. Neto & J. C. Marques, 2009. Review and evaluation of estuarine biotic indices to assess benthic condition. Ecological Indicators 9(1): 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Renaud, P. E., M. Wlodarska-Kowalczuk, H. Trannum, B. Holte, J. M. Weslawsk, S. Cochrane, S. Dahle & B. Gulliksen, 2007. Multidecadal stability of benthic community structure in a high-Arctic glacial fjord (van Mijenfjord, Spitsbergen). Polar Biology 30: 295–305.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shin, P. K. S., Z. G. Huang & R. S. S. Wu, 2004. An updated baseline of subtropical macrobenthic communities in Hong Kong. Marine Pollution Bulletin 49: 128–135.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smaal, A. C., 1991. The ecology and cultivation of mussels: new advances. Aquaculture 94: 245–261.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, J. & S. E. Shackley, 2004. Effects of a commercial mussel Mytilus edulis lay on a sublittoral, soft sediment benthic community. Marine Ecology Progress Series 282: 185–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stenton-Dozey, J. M. E., L. F. Jackson & A. J. Busby, 1999. Impact of mussel culture on macrobenthic community structure in Saldanha Bay, South Africa. Marine Pollution Bulletin 39: 357–366.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tomassetti, P., E. Persia, I. Mercatali, D. Vani, V. Marussso & S. Porrello, 2009. Effects of mariculture on macrobenthic assemblages in a western Mediterranean site. Marine Pollution Bulletin 58: 533–541.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, G. F., A. I. Robertson & M. J. Littlejohn, 1984. Invertebrate macrobenthos of the seagrass communities in Western Port, Victoria. Aquatic Botany 18: 175–197.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang, H. S. & Y. Zhou, 1998. Progress in studies on effect of filter-feeding bivalve on environment of mariculture area. Marine Science 22(2): 42–44. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, R. A. & Y. Z. Dong, 1990. Analysis of conditions of natural environment in sea areas for pollutant discharge and the study on pathways of pollutant transport in Yantai. Coastal Engineering 9(2): 35–44. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, F. S. & H. S. Yang, 1999. Analysis of the causes of mass mortality of farming Chlamys farreri in summer in coastal areas of Shandong, China. Marine Sciences 23(1): 44–47. in Chinese with English abstract.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, F. S., Y. Z. He, L. X. Qi & L. N. Sun, 1997. Studies on the restoration of cultured bay scallop Argopecten irradians through reintroduction of broodstock. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica 28(2): 146–152. in Chinese with English abstract.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, T., H. S. Yang, P. Wang, Y. C. He & F. S. Zhang, 2001. The factors affecting meat condition and growth rate of Farreri’s scallop Chlamys (Azumapecten) farreri in Sishiliwan Bay, Yantai. Marine Fisheries Research 22(1): 25–31. in Chinese with English abstract.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, Y., H. S. Yang, T. Zhang, S. L. Liu, S. M. Zhang, Q. Liu, J. H. Xiang & F. S. Zhang, 2006. Influence of filtering and biodeposition by the cultured scallop Chlamys farreri on benthic-pelagic coupling in a eutrophic bay in China. Marine Ecology Progress Series 317: 127–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Scientific Foundation of China (No. 41006076), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. XDA05130703), and Key Laboratory for Ecological Environment in Coastal Areas, State Oceanic Administration (No. 201107). The authors would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions to improve the quality of the paper.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes and Ecological Remediation, Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research (YIC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), 17 Chunhui Road, Yantai, 264003, People’s Republic of China

    Qingxi Han, Yueqi Wang, Yong Zhang & Dongyan Liu

  2. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Coastal Zone Environmental Processes, YICCAS, Yantai, 264003, Shandong, People’s Republic of China

    Qingxi Han, Yueqi Wang, Yong Zhang & Dongyan Liu

  3. University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, People’s Republic of China

    Yueqi Wang

  4. CSIRO Wealth from Oceans Flagship, Marine and Atmospheric Research, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia

    John Keesing

Authors
  1. Qingxi Han
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yueqi Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yong Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John Keesing
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Dongyan Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dongyan Liu.

Additional information

Handling editor: Stuart Jenkins

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Han, Q., Wang, Y., Zhang, Y. et al. Effects of intensive scallop mariculture on macrobenthic assemblages in Sishili Bay, the northern Yellow Sea of China. Hydrobiologia 718, 1–15 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1590-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1590-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation