Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS34 Impacts of Aquaculture and Mariculture

Date: Thursday, February 15, 2001, Time: 10:15:00 AM

Location: Sandia/Santa Ana

Clerk, S, , Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, clerks@biology.queensu.ca

Smol, J, P, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada, smolj@biology.queensu.ca

IMPACTS OF AQUACULTURE IN THE LA CLOCHE CHANNEL OF LAKE HURON, ONTARIO: A PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT

There is much concern regarding the environmental impacts of caged aquaculture, especially in terms of the potential for lakes to suffer from eutrophication due to fish farm waste. This study will examine the impacts that aquaculture has had in the La Cloche Channel of Lake Huron, Ontario. In response to public complaints regarding algal growth and water quality changes, an aquaculture operation that had been in place since 1993 was closed in 1998. However, because no long-term data regarding water quality are available, it is not known whether the channel is naturally productive or whether the aquaculture operation was responsible for causing eutrophic conditions and anoxia. Chironomids (non-biting midges) are excellent paleoindicators of oxygen levels and will be used in this study to reconstruct past changes in oxygen levels to determine the impact of the aquaculture operation. In addition, preliminary results from other lakes in the area that currently have aquaculture operations will be discussed. Information from this study will be useful, especially to lake managers in determining the feasibility of caged aquaculture operations.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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