Effect of Aquaculture on Material Cycles in Otsuchi Bay, Japan

Abstract

A numerical physical-biological coupled model is developed for the study of coastal material cycles including aquaculture. The model calculates spatial distributions of PON (Particulate Organic Nitrogen), POP (Particulate Organic Phosphorus), DON (Dissolved Organic Nitrogen), DOP (Dissolved Organic Phosphorus), Chl-a, zooplankton, NO_3-N, NH_4-N and PO_4-P using simulated current. It also takes into consideration the effects of shellfish feeding and excretion, seaweed photosynthesis, and the loading of DIN from rivers. The model is applied to Otsuchi Bay, in Iwate Pref., in Japan. The model elucidated the cycling of nitrogen among ecological compartments. If the amount of cultured shellfish is extremely increased, the feeding by shellfish is large enough to change the lower trophic level ecosystem, reducing concentration of phytoplankton and POM (Particulate Organic Matter) around the cultured region, while phytoplankton increases far from the culture due to the increase of recycled nutrient by the excretion of shellfish

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