Quantification of finfish assemblages associated with mussel and seaweed farms in southwest UK provides evidence of potential benefits to fisheries

This is the final version. Available on open access from Inter-Research Science Publisher via the DOI in this recordLow trophic aquaculture, including shellfish and seaweed farming, offers a potentially sustainable food source and may provide additional environmental benefits, including the creation of new feeding, breeding and nursery areas for fish of commercial and ecological importance. However, quantitative assessments of fish assemblages associated with aquaculture sites are lacking. We used pelagic baited remote underwater videos (BRUVs) and hook and line catches to survey summer fish assemblages at 2 integrated blue mussel Mytilus edulis and kelp (predominantly Saccharina latissima) farms in southwest UK. We recorded at least 11 finfish species across the surveys, including several of commercial importance, with farmed mussels and/or kelps supporting significantly higher levels of abundance and richness than reference areas outside farm infrastructure. Farmed kelp provided temporary habitat due to seasonal harvesting schedules, whereas farmed mussels provided greater habitat stability due to overlapping interannual growth cycles. Stomach content analysis of fish caught at the farms revealed that some low trophic level species had high proportions of amphipods in their stomachs, which also dominated epibiont assemblages at the farms. Higher trophic level fish stomachs contained several lower trophic level fish species, suggesting that farms provide new foraging grounds and support secondary and tertiary production. Although not identified to species level, juvenile fish were abundant at both farms, suggesting potential provisioning of nursery or breeding grounds; however, this needs further verification. Overall, this study provides evidence that shellfish and seaweed aquaculture can support and enhance populations of commercially and ecologically important fish species through habitat provisioning.Worshipful Company of FishmongersCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)Marine Biological AssociationNatural Environment Research Council (NERC)University of ExeterUKR

Quantifying habitat provisioning at macroalgal cultivation sites.

Macroalgal cultivation is expanding rapidly, and promises to contribute significantly towards future food and energy security, sustainable livelihoods, ecosystem services and habitat provisioning for a range of associated organisms globally. Habitat provisioning underpins biodiversity and ecosystem structure and functioning, supports many ecosystem services and has possible benefits to other marine industries, including enhancement of commercial fish stocks. In macroalgal cultivation, however, only recently has habitat provisioning started to be assessed at a local scale (within a farm's footprint) and with a range of different approaches. This review evaluates techniques used to quantify habitat provisioning in and around macroalgal cultivation sites, for species ranging from microorganisms to megafauna, and outlines recommendations to enable a more comprehensive ecological valuation of macroalgal cultivation in the future. The majority of information on biodiversity associated with macroalgal cultivation is associated with quantifying biofouling or pest organisms, rather than the contribution of colonising species to healthy ecosystem functioning. We suggest how better monitoring of macroalgal cultivation could enable an ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA) in the future. To achieve this, we highlight the need for standardised and robust methods for quantifying habitat provisioning that will enable assessment and monitoring of macroalgal cultivation sites of varying scales and within different regions and environmental settings. Increased evidence for the potential habitat value of macroalgal cultivation sites will help inform and shape marine legislation, licencing and certification for macroalgal farmers and potentially reduce marine user conflicts, helping the industry to continue to grow sustainably using EAA

Development and Diversity of Epibiont Assemblages on Cultivated Sugar Kelp (Saccharina latissima) in Relation to Farming Schedules and Harvesting Techniques

This is the final version. Available on open access from MDPI via the DOI in this recordSeaweed farming in Europe is growing and may provide environmental benefits, including habitat provisioning, coastal protection, and bioremediation. Habitat provisioning by seaweed farms remains largely unquantified, with previous research focused primarily on the detrimental effects of epibionts, rather than their roles in ecological functioning and ecosystem service provision. We monitored the development and diversity of epibiont assemblages on cultivated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) at a farm in Cornwall, southwest UK, and compared the effects of different harvesting techniques on epibiont assemblage structure. Increases in epibiont abundance (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 100.56, p < 0.001) and diversity (PERMANOVA, F4,25 = 27.25, p < 0.001) were found on cultivated kelps over and beyond the growing season, reaching an average abundance of >6000 individuals per kelp plant with a taxonomic richness of ~9 phyla per kelp by late summer (August). Assemblages were dominated by crustaceans (mainly amphipods), molluscs (principally bivalves) and bryozoans, which provide important ecological roles, despite reducing crop quality. Partial harvesting techniques maintained, or increased, epibiont abundance and diversity beyond the farming season; however, these kelp plants were significantly fouled and would not be commercially viable in most markets. This paper improves understanding of epibiont assemblage development at European kelp farms, which can inform sustainable, ecosystem-based approaches to aquaculture.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Worshipful Company of FishmongersCefasMarine Biological AssociationEuropean Maritime and Fisheries FundUniversity of ExeterUKR

Home sweet home: Comparison of epibiont assemblages associated with cultivated and wild sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima), co-cultivated blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) and farm infrastructure

This is the final version. Available from Springer via the DOI in this record. The datasets generated during and analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.Seaweed farming is expanding in Europe and may provide environmental benefits similar to those from natural kelp forests and shellfish farms, including habitat provisioning. Few studies have substantiated these claims however, and it remains uncertain whether seaweed farms will support similar biodiversity to kelp forests or provide valuable long-term habitat beyond the harvest season. We repeatedly surveyed an integrated sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) and blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) farm in southwest UK to compare epibiont assemblages between cultivated kelps, to those from three nearby wild kelp populations, and to epibionts on farmed mussel lines and unseeded ‘bare’ lines. We found farmed kelps supported over 217 times the abundance of epibionts living on wild kelps at harvest time, however, taxonomic diversity per kelp was lower at the farm. Farmed kelp assemblages were dominated by amphipods, which were present on the wild kelps but in much lower numbers. Farmed kelp also supported distinct assemblages to cultivated mussels, which were similarly dominated by amphipods, but hosted higher relative abundances of crabs, echinoderms, worms and red algal biomass. The bare lines were heavily colonised by another pseudo-kelp, Saccorhiza polyschides, which supported similar epibiont assemblages to the seeded S. latissima lines. Our findings indicate that cultivating bivalves alongside seaweed can increase habitat provisioning at a seaweed farm and extend its permanence beyond typical seaweed cultivation periods as bivalves have longer, continuous farming periods. However, the presence of mussels will likely influence the epibiont assemblages on the farmed kelp, which are distinct from wild kelp populations.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)UK Research and InnovationWorshipful Company of FishmongersCentre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas)Marine Biological AssociationEuropean Maritime and Fisheries FundUK Research and InnovationUniversity of Exete

Seaweed aquaculture and mechanical harvesting: an evidence review to support sustainable management

Natural England currently advise on a range of seaweed gathering and aquaculture enquiries and advice is given by specialists on the specific enquiry / application using the best available evidence and knowledge, using the precautionary principle. The aim of this contract was to increase understanding of the methods used for mechanised harvesting and seaweed aquaculture, potential environmental effects or impacts, potential management measures, and to develop recommendations for best practices. A key part of this project was to highlight evidence gaps and identify how these can be addressed

Field assessment of the potential for small scale co-cultivation of seaweed and shellfish to regulate nutrients and plankton dynamics

This is the final version. Available on open access from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordData Availability; Data will be made available on request.The co-cultivation of seaweed alongside shellfish has the potential to regulate local dissolved nutrient concentrations and consequently affect plankton dynamics. Evidence for this has until now come largely from computational modelling and laboratory studies, rather than field studies. Here we report on weekly/bi-weekly profiling of inorganic nutrient concentrations (nitrate, nitrite, ammonium, phosphate, and silicate) over two years (2019–2020) at three sampling stations across a small-scale (16 ha) kelp and mussel farm in Porthallow Bay, Cornwall, UK. Nutrient concentrations were measured in conjunction with a range of related environmental variables, including water temperature, salinity, clarity, and phyto- and zoo- plankton abundance, biomass and community composition. These environmental data were also supplemented with river discharge data. Our results indicate typical seasonal variations in chemical (nutrient), physical (hydrographic), and biological (plankton) parameters across all three sampling stations and no significant reductions in inorganic nutrient concentrations in the water column downstream from the integrated kelp and shellfish farm. We conclude that the effectiveness of nutrient regulation by integrating seaweed and shellfish aquaculture will depend on local climatic and hydro-geochemical conditions (affecting background nutrient inputs), as well as the design and scale of integrated multi–trophic aquaculture (IMTA) systems.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)European Maritime and Fisheries FundFishmongers' Company's Charitable Trust, UKCornish Seaweed CompanyWestcountry Mussels of FoweyCornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation AuthorityUKR

The relationship of multiple aspects of stigma and personal contact with someone hospitalized for mental illness, in a nationally representative sample

The stigma of mental illness has been shown to be affected by personal contact with mental illness and by a belief in the genetic heritability of mental illness. We use data from a nationally representative survey to test whether the relationship of stigma with contact remains after taking into account the effects of genetic beliefs and other background characteristics. Contact was defined as a history of psychiatric hospitalization among respondents themselves, their family members, or their friends. Respondents answered questions about a vignette character with a mental illness. We found that respondents with contact felt less anger and blame toward the character, thought that the character had a more serious problem, and would want less social distance from the character, including both casual and intimate aspects of social distance. Respondents with contact were not significantly different from the general population in the degree to which they expressed sympathy, thought the problem would last a lifetime, or wanted to restrict reproduction. Thus, contact is associated with having a less ostracizing, critical attitude toward a stranger with mental illness. The results underscore the importance of this experienced group as a resource in fighting stigma in society. Since many people who have had a psychiatric hospitalization have not told their friends or family members about it, this lower-stigma group could be enlarged

What you should know about Zika virus testing : for pregnant women who may have been exposed to Zika 2-12 weeks ago

If you or your sex partner live in or recently traveled to an area with Zika, you may have been exposed to Zika. You may havequestions about Zika and how to find out if you\ue2\u20ac\u2122ve been infected. Learn more about Zika virus testing for pregnant womenand what you might expect if you have Zika virus during pregnancy.CS272943Date printed on piece: December 20, 2016.Date from document properties: modified 1/4/2017igm.pd

Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Autism Stigma and Informal Caregiver Mental Health

Families play a crucial role in determining the mental health of the autistic individual(s) they are caring for. However, the stigma associated with autism can impair caregiver health. To investigate this, empirical evidence pertaining to stigma’s impact on informal caregivers’ mental health was systematically reviewed. All twelve included studies (n = 1442 informal caregivers) consistently reported the impact of autism related stigma upon caregiver mental health to be significant, meaningful and complex. A new theoretical framework describing the relationship between stigma and caregiver mental health is constructed. Moderating variables include those both changeable through intervention (e.g. hopelessness, self-esteem, self-compassion) and not changeable (gender, culture, financial burden and time since diagnosis). Implications and recommendations for professionals, interventions and future research are proposed