Bailey-Watts, A.E.

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ED/T11060k5/20Institute ofFreshwaterEcologyROMANIAN FISH POND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY: Afreshwater ecological programme to assess the effects of carppond farming on water qualityA E Bailey-Watts BSc PhD MIWEMSummary report to the Natural Resources Inst tute (Bucharest Project Office)(September 1994)Natural Environment Research CounciláInstitute of Freshwater EcologyEdinburgh Laboratory, Bush Estate, PenicuikMidlothian EI-126 OQB, ScotlandTelephone 031 445 4343; Fax 031 445 3943ROMANIAN FISH POND ENVIRONMENTAL STUDY:a freshwater ecological programme to assess the effectsof carp pond farming on water qualityProject Manager and Principal Investigator: A E Bailey-Watts BSc PhD MIWEMSummary report to Natural Resources Institute(Bucharest Project Office)September 1994Contract Completion Date: 25 September 1994TFS Project No.: T11060k5trilOWitCh—This is an unpublished report and should not be cited without permission, which should besought through the Director of the Institute of Freshwater Ecology in the first instance:Windermere Laboratory, Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 OLP, UK. Tel.: 0539442468; Fax. 05394 46914.The Institute of Freshwater Ecology is part of the Natural Environment Research Council'sCentre for Ecology and Hydrology.áA freshwater ecological programme to assess the effects of carp pondfarming on water quality in RomaniaBackground and rationaleFishproducers inRomaniapay significant amounts of money to the Ministry of the Environment(MoE) for the water they abstract from, and eventuallyreturn to, the main rivers (as 'effluent').Yet, it is possiblethat carp ponds may act as filtersand actuallypurify the water. The ultimate aimof this mission is to design a monitoring programme to assess whether ponds lead to cleanerwater. The terms of reference of the mission are as follows:- to establish, from existing data, the extent to which fish ponds may purify water- to decide whether a new monitoring/surveillanceprogramme is firstly, warranted, andsecondly, feasibleto visit a range of commercial carp farms to the east of the Carpathian Mountains, anddiscuss with farmers the schedules and methods used for managingthe ponds- to visit a selection of fishery research institutes involved in physical, chemical andbiological analysisof freshwatersto select the sites for intensive environmental monitoring- to selectthe most appropriate scientists/consultants to carry out the monitoring and co-ordinate the programmes in different parts of the country.to design a survey programme for local consultants to monitor changes in inlet water,pond water, and effluent quality over a ffillyearto advise on the field, laboratory and data analytical methods and scope of analysesrequired to assess whether water quality differs between fish farm inlets and outletsThisdraft report summarisesthe findingsof a three-weektour in September 1994 to address theseaspects.A detailedfmalreport, includingsome detailson the samplingand analytical procedures envisagedfor the project, willbe submitted for approval by the project manager, within four weeks of myreturn to UK. In collaborationwith the project field manager, contracts will also be drawn up forthe local consultants selected for the work.Main activitiesThe following commercial farms were visited: Crevidia consisting basically of two dammedsystemsabove LakeBuftea;the Trifestiand Bidesti series of ponds; the Tiganasi ponds; Vladeni;two ponds at Brates; and Ianca (from Vermatta s.a. in Braila). I gained information onmanagementstrategies.I was particularlykeen to learn about the timing of pond filling and drawdown/evacuation(for fishharvesting)- because these operations will have a bearing on samplingschedulesto be operated inanyfieldproject, and they determine the periods over which 'effluent'is discharged. The enrichment (eutrophication) of many ponds is not due solely to fish-rearingpractices; diffuse run-off of material from agricultural land, and waste from intensive livestockholdings, and undoubtedly households, also occurs.I visited- in addition to the Ministry of Water, Forests and Environmental Protection which co-ordinatesa nation-wide programme of water quality monitoring - the following fishery researchinstitutes involved in physical, chemical and biological analyses of freshwaters: the Fish Culture1Research Station at Nucet, the Piatra Neamt and Galati laboratories of the Centre of Researchand Production in Fisheries, Fish Culture and Fish Processing (CCPPPIP), and the Station ofResearch and Production of Fish (ACVARES) at Iasi. I met key research staff, and sawlaboratory facilities, field equipment and libraries.Findings and recommendationsA considerable body of data on surface water quality in Romania already exists in MoE. However,it appears so far that the specific questions over whether ponds lead to better water quality,cannot be answered by these data. A KITY project would include an appraisal/review of thisinformation, but it is plain that a new monitoring/surveillance programme specifically designedfor assessing cam pond effects is needed. The outputs envisaged from such an exercise wouldinclude information on the following environmental aspects, which would be related to thevarious activities in the pond managers calendar: seasonal changes in the quality of feeder water,pond water and outlet (effluent) - as and when these exist - as indicated by physico-chemicalanalyses, and assessments of the species composition and abundance of planktonic algae(phytoplankton), rotifers and micro-Crustacea (zooplankton), and the invertebrate communitiesassociated with pond and stream sediments (zoobenthos).It is emphasised that, while the quality of water passing through a fish pond may improve as aresult of the filter-feeding activities of e.g. certain zooplankton and fish species, there are manymore mechanisms whereby ponds are likely to impair water quality. The attached Table givessome indication of this. However, by enhancing knowledge about the dynamics of the variousphysical, chemical and biotic components of ponds, the new project could initiate managementstrategies that maximise the chancesof releasing water (effluent') that is of better quality than thefeeder water.The best sites for intensive monitoring have not yet been identified, but proximity to researchinstitutes will be an important consideration (saving on time and money for travel). Ponds andmanagement strategies vary considerably from farm to farm - partly as a result of shiftingavailability of funds for e.g. feed, fertilisers and pumping equipment, and partly in response toseasonal and inter-annual variation in the weather and especially, water availability. Thus, no twoponds are treated similarly in regard to e.g. stocking rates or mixes/proportions of fish species;or harvesting methods (with/without water draw down or pond emptying); or harvesting andrecruitment schedules.Each of the research centres has its special strengths in practical science and/or project co-ordination, and the new project would draw on these. The following personnel in particular shouldbe involved:- from the Fish Culture Research Station at Nucet, Dr. Dan Visitu (Director) and MrChristian Stoicescu (freshwater scientist) in co-ordinating roles; the invertebrate ecologists, andthe library at this site will also be a valuable assets to the project- from the Piatra Neamt laboratories of CCPPP113,Drs. Ioan Caraus and M A Porumb(algology), Dr. Rodica-Ileana Rujinschi (zooplankton); the chemical laboratories and libraryfacilities should be used too- from the Galati laboratories of CCPPPIP, Mrs Maria Fetecau (phytoplankton ecology)and Miss Liliana Pana (zooplankton)- from the ACVARES station at Iasi, Dr Florin Seiler and Mr Catalin Platon (hydro-chemistry) and Miss Rodica Palade (zoobenthos)A survey programme focussing (initially at least)on no more than 4 sites will be designed for, andin consultation with, these scientistsrmvestigators. It is essential that major physical, chemical andbiological conditions are monitored at as frequently as possible; it is hoped that sites could bevisited 15 times over a 12-month period (i.e. including the ice-over season) - with for example,2weekly sampling in the first month of pond filling, and perhaps monthly sampling thereafter(bearing in mind that during some periods, feeder streams, inlet pipes, and outfalls may not beflowing, and ponds are empty) .The systemsselected for study shouldbe simplei.e. witha single inflow and outflow, and affectedlargely by fish-farming, not significantlyby e.g. domestic waste, poultry units. At each of theponds, samples will be collected in duplicate at the inflow and the outflow whenever these arerunning, and from no more than 3 points within the ponds themselves. Wherever possible, all 4siteswillbe sampledon the same dates. It is hoped that the whole spectrum of analyses envisagedcan be carried out at each of the participating laboratories. Thus, carriage/posting of samplesbetween laboratories will be kept to a minimum - except perhaps for ad hoc inter-laboratoryanalytical comparisons, for example.It is likely that the ponds will contrast considerably as regards the timing and nature of theintroductionof fingerlings, the application of dung or fertilisers, and the harvesting of fish. It isthus essential that a monthly record of these activities is maintained for each site. It is alsoessentialthat the teams withineach laboratory work closely together, and that scientists from thedifferentlaboratoriesmeet frequently (every 6 weeks?) to maintain consistency in approach, andto discuss progress and problems over sampling schedules, analyses and data handling.Discussions have been initiated with the personnel listed above, over field, laboratory and dataanalytical methods, and the scope of analyses required to assess whether water quality differsbetween fish farm inlets and outlets. Some literature on chemical methods is availablefrom theProjectManager. Some techniques which may be quicker, yet statistically more robust, than theprocedures currently used in Romania for the estimation of phytoplank-ton, zooplankton andzoobenthosare under consideration. Financial support (external to the KHF) is being sought fora workshop on all of these aspects, to be held in UK or Romania, before the project starts.3NMMIOM•MIMININMMNMNISI=MIleMIMilNMMOI=AreasofworkthatmightbeincorporatedinastudyoftheeffectsoffishfarmingonwaterqualityParameterstobemeasuredPhysical:TurbidityColourOdourChemical:NutrientsPesticidesVitaminsandotherfoodadditivesBiologicaLBacteriaAlgae(Includingtoxicspecies)ZooplanktonBcnthicinvertebratesFishparasitesPossiblereasonsforchangesintheseparametersincreaseddisturbanceofmudbyfish;decreascdsedimentation;increaseddisturbanceofmudbyfish;decreasedsedimentation;increasedalgalgrowthalgae;fish;fishproductswastefccdandexcretoryproducts;inorganicfertilisation?;increasedre-cyclingfromalgaeandiormacrophytes;fishmedicaments;wastefeedandexcretoryproducts;organicandinorganicenrichment;organicandinorganicenrichment;increasedalgal(food)biomass;increasesinorganicparticlesandenhancedprimaryproductivityandalgalbiomassformation;increasednumbersoffish;4A NaturalEnvironmentResearchCouncil

Romanian Fish pond Environmental Study: a freshwater ecological programme to assess the effects of carp pond farming on water quality

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Romanian Fish pond Environmental Study: a freshwater ecological programme to assess the effects of carp pond farming on water quality

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