The Impact of Shrimp Pond Effluent on Water Quality and Phytoplankton Biomass in a Tropical Mangrove Estuary

doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00035-7

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 40, Issue 11, November 2000, Pages 947-951

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0025-326X(00)00035-7 Get rights and content

Abstract

Water quality and phytoplankton biomass were examined over a three-year period in a mangrove estuary receiving periodic inputs of effluent from adjacent shrimp ponds, and in two adjacent, non-impacted estuaries, in north Queensland, Australia. Chlorophyll a, dissolved oxygen (DO), biological oxygen demand (BOD), pH, and salinity at the discharge site in the receiving estuary were significantly higher than in the two control estuaries. There were no significant differences between the impacted and control estuaries in total suspended solids (TSS) and dissolved nutrient concentrations. Water quality and phytoplankton biomass were within ambient levels within 1 km downstream of the discharge site, based on a comparison with long-term, pre-impact data for the estuary. Within 1–2 months after pond discharge ceased, water quality and phytoplankton biomass at the discharge site returned to levels equivalent to those in the control estuaries. The limited spatial and temporal impact suggests that the effluent was dissipated by tides and assimilated and/or mineralized by the estuarine food web. Our results imply that tidal mangrove estuaries have some capacity, at least over short spatial and temporal scales, to process intermittent inputs of pond-derived nutrients.

Introduction

Shrimp aquaculture is one of the fastest growing economic activities in coastal areas of the Asia–Pacific region, where 72% of the world’s farmed shrimp are produced. World shrimp production rose from 184 000 t in 1984 to 737 200 t in 1998 and is predicted to reach 1 212 000 t by 2000 (Rosenberry, 1998). However, it appears that sustainable production is now becoming limited in part by the carrying capacity of the supporting coastal ecosystems (Primavera, 1998). Intensive shrimp aquaculture is also limited by eutrophication, stock losses due to disease outbreaks, human socioeconomic problems, and losses of mangrove forests, rice paddies, and other coastal habitat through land-clearing and salinization Boyd and Tucker, 1998, Primavera, 1998.

Effluent from shrimp ponds may contribute significantly to elevated nutrient loadings in coastal environments. Estimates of nutrients and sediment entering coastal waterways from shrimp ponds indicate that most of this material originates from added feeds Macintosh and Phillips, 1992, Briggs and Funge-Smith, 1994. Information exists on the nature and composition of shrimp pond effluent under Australian conditions (Preston et al., 1995), but to our knowledge, no studies have characterized coastal waters receiving shrimp farm discharge, or have related water quality to shrimp farming activity Robertson and Phillips, 1995, Diana et al., 1997.

In this study, we document the impact of shrimp pond effluent on water quality and phytoplankton biomass in receiving waters of a tropical mangrove estuary. Pre- and post-impact conditions were studied in the receiving estuary, and in two adjacent non-impacted estuaries, in order to detect environmental change and to distinguish potential impacts from natural variability.

Section snippets

Methods

The study area, west of Port Douglas, in north Queensland, Australia (Fig. 1), is characterized by tidal mangrove estuaries that receive freshwater input mostly in the summer wet season. Muddy Creek, the receiving estuary, is one of the largest estuaries in the region, but significant areas of mangrove forest are drained by the two control estuaries, Sandfly and Control Creeks (Fig. 1). Previous hydrological surveys (Wolanski et al., 1992) indicate that the lower reaches of the estuaries are

Results and Discussion

Salinity (Table 1), pH (Table 1), BOD (Fig. 2, Table 1) and concentrations of dissolved oxygen (Fig. 3, Table 1) and chlorophyll a (Fig. 4, Table 1) were significantly higher in Muddy Creek than in both control estuaries, over the period of intermittent discharge. There were no significant differences in water temperature, TSS and dissolved nutrient concentrations between impacted and non-impacted estuaries (Table 1). Short-term rainfall was inversely correlated with salinity (r=−0.67) and

Acknowledgements

Alistar Robertson was instrumental in the initial development and design of this project. This work was supported by Mossman Central Mill Co. Ltd, Sea Ranch Pty. Ltd, The Fisheries and Research Development Corporation (FRDC) and the Cooperative Research Centre for Aquaculture. Field and analytical assistance was provided by D. Olsen and A. Dahlberg. Nutrient analyses were performed at AIMS by N. Johnston and C. Waldron. D. Ryan provided statistical advice. D. McKinnon and D. Johnston provided

References (21)

Alongi, D. M., Boto, K. G. and Robertson, A. I. (1992) Nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. In Tropical Mangrove Ecosystems,...
American Public Health Association (1992) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, 18th edition....
Boto, K. G. and Wellington, J. T. (1988) Seasonal variations in concentrations and fluxes of dissolved organic and...
Briggs, M. R. P. and Funge-Smith, S. J. (1994) A nutrient budget of some intensive marine shrimp ponds in Thailand....
Boyd, C. E. and Tucker, C. S. (1998) Pond Aquaculture Water Quality Management. Kluwer,...
Burford, M. S. (1997) Phytoplankton dynamics in shrimp ponds. Aquaculture Research 28,...
Clough, B. F., Boto, K. G. and Attiwill, P.M. (1983) Mangroves and sewage: a re-evaluation. In Tasks for vegetation...
Department of Environment and Heritage (1993) Water Quality Data Report, Queensland, January 1988 to December 1991,...
Diana, J. S., Szyper, J. P., Batterson, T. R., Boyd, C. E. and Piedrahita, R. H. (1997) Water quality in ponds. In...
Macintosh, D. J. and Phillips, M. (1992) Environmental issues in shrimp farming. Infofish International 6,...

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (98)

Effects of dredging wastewater input history and aquaculture type on greenhouse gas fluxes from mangrove sediments along the shorelines of the Jiulong River Estuary, China
2024, Environmental Pollution
Dredging wastewater (DW) from aquaculture ponds is a major disturbance factor in mangrove management, and its effects on the greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from mangrove sediment remain controversial. In this study, we investigated GHG (N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂) fluxes from mangrove sediment at typical aquaculture pond–mangrove sites that were stimulated by DW discharged for different input histories and from different farm types. The GHG fluxes exhibited differing cumulative effects with increasing periods of DW input. The N₂O and CH₄ fluxes from mangrove sediment that received DW inputs for 17 y increased by ∼10 and ∼1.5 times, respectively, whereas the CO₂ flux from mangrove sediment that received DW inputs for 11 y increased by ∼1 time. The effect of DW from shrimp ponds on the N₂O flux was significantly larger than those of DW from fish/crab ponds and razor clam ponds. Moreover, the total global warming potentials (GWPs) at the field sites with DW inputs increased by 29–129% of which the CO₂ flux was the main contributor to the GWP (85–96%). N₂O as a proportion of CO₂-equivalent flux increased from 2% to 12%, indicating that N₂O was an important contributor to the increase in GWP. Overall, DW increased the GHG fluxes from mangrove sediments, indicating that the contribution of mangroves to climate warming was enhanced under DW input. It also implies that the carbon sequestration potential of mangrove sediments may be threatened to some extent. Therefore, future assessments of the carbon sequestration capacity of mangroves at regional or global scales should consider this phenomenon.
Riverine and submarine groundwater nutrients fuel high primary production in a tropical bay
2023, Science of the Total Environment
River discharge has long been recognized as a major source of nutrients supporting high primary production (PP) in Bandon Bay, while submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) and atmospheric deposition have largely been overlooked. In this study, we evaluated contributions of nutrients via river, SGD and atmospheric deposition, and their roles on PP in the bay. Contribution of nutrients from the three sources during different time of the year was estimated. Nutrients supply from Tapi-Phumduang River accounted for two-fold the amount from SGD while very little supply was from atmospheric deposition. Significant seasonal difference in silicate and dissolved inorganic nitrogen were observed in river water. Dissolved phosphorous in river water was mainly (80 % to 90 %) of DOP in both seasons. For the bay water, DIP in wet season was two-fold higher than in dry season while dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) was only one half of those measured in dry season. In SGD, dissolved nitrogen was mostly inorganic (with 99 % as NH₄⁺), while dissolved phosphorous was predominantly (DOP). In general, Tapi River is the most important source of nitrogen (NO₃⁻, NO₂⁻, and DON), contributing >70 % of all considered sources, especially in wet season, while SGD is a major source for DSi, NH₄⁺ and phosphorus, contributing 50 % to 90 % of all considered sources. To this end, Tapi River and SGD deliver a large quantity of nutrients and support high PP in the bay (337 to 553 mg-C m⁻² day⁻¹).
A novel coupled framework for detecting hotspots of methane emission from the vulnerable Indian Sundarban mangrove ecosystem using data-driven models
2023, Science of the Total Environment
Coastal mangroves have been lost to deforestation for anthropogenic activities such as agriculture over the past two decades. The genesis of methane (CH₄), a significant greenhouse gas (GHG) with a high potential for global warming, occurs through these mangrove beds. The mangrove forests in the Indian Sundarban deltaic region were studied for pre-monsoonal and post-monsoonal variations of CH₄ emission. Considering the importance of CH₄ emission, a process-based spatiotemporal (PBS) and an analytical neural network (ANN) model were proposed and used to estimate the amount of CH₄ emission from different land use land cover classes (LULC) of mangroves. The field work was performed in 2020, and gas samples of various LULC were directly collected from the mangrove bed using the enclosed box chamber method. Historical climatic data (1960–1989) were used to predict future climate scenarios and associated CH₄ emissions. The analysis and estimation activities were carried out utilizing satellite images from the pre-monsoonal and post-monsoonal seasons of the same year. The study revealed that pre-monsoonal CH₄ emission was higher in the south-west and northern parts of the deforested mangrove of the Indian Sundarban. A sensitivity study of the anticipated models was conducted using a variety of environmental input parameters and related main field observations. The measured precision area under curve of receiver operating characteristics was 0.753 for PBS and 0.718 for ANN models, respectively. The temperature factor (T_f) was the most crucial variable for CH₄ emissions. Based on the PBS model with coupled model intercomparison project-6 temperature data, a global circulation model was run to predict increasing CH₄ emissions up to 2100. The model revealed that the agricultural lands were the prime emitters of CH₄ in the Sundarban mangrove ecosystem.
Living under ecosystem degradation: Evidence from the mangrove–fishery linkage in Indonesia
2023, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management
This study examines the impacts of ecosystem degradation on social welfare, focusing on the mangrove–fishery linkage in Indonesia. Using nationally representative household data combined with satellite information on spatiotemporal mangrove loss, the study finds that fishery households experienced a decline in annual income ranging from 5.3% to 9.8% in response to a 1% increase in mangrove loss in the region. Under the income shock, fishery households increased their labor input and decreased their non-food consumption; however, they continued being part of the fishery industry. Furthermore, according to a back-of-the-envelope calculation, the potential economic value of mangrove conservation, estimated in terms of fishery production reached 22,861 US$/hectare/year. This makes conservation substantially more cost-effective than alternative land uses, such as aquaculture and oil palm plantations. These findings highlight the need to support mangrove forest conservation to achieve sustainable development and ecosystem conservation.
Nitrogen and phosphorus turnover and coupling in ponds with different aquaculture species
2023, Aquaculture
Massive accumulation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) is the serious problem for development of pond aquaculture. Several efforts have been paid to reduce negative effects of nutrient accumulation. However, little is known about the internal cycling process of N and P in traditional aquaculture ponds. In this study, we determined the kinetic parameters of critical extracellular enzymes (including alkaline phosphatase (AP) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP)) involved in N and P cycling and variations of trophic states in three kinds of ponds with typical cultured species (fish, crab, and crayfish) around Lake Honghu in four months of different seasons from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, sediment P release potential was assessed meanwhile. Results indicated that trophic state in the ponds was cultural species specific. In fish ponds, soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) was the major component of the total phosphorus (TP). Accumulation of P and imbalance of N and P ratio occurred due to exogenous inputs. Meanwhile, the concentrations of ammonium and nitrite were also the highest in the fish ponds, reaching 4.14 mg L⁻¹ and 0.29 mg L⁻¹ respectively. Enzymatic kinetic parameters were used to assess trophic state and regeneration rate of N and P in the ponds. The turnover time of organic P mediated by AP (^APT) and its Michaelis constant (K_m) were found to be significantly positively correlated to SRP concentrations (P < 0.05) and negatively related to N and P ratios (P < 0.05). With increasing TP concentrations, the maximum velocity (V_max) of LAP increased linearly (P < 0.05), accelerating the efficiency of N regeneration. These results suggested excessive P limited the hydrolysis of organic P but promoted the production of harmful NH₄⁺-N from organic N, implying that extracellular enzyme balanced regenerations of N and P in the ponds. Analysis of sediment suggested that there existed higher risks of benthic P release in fish ponds, while the equilibrium P concentrations (EPC₀) were significantly positively related to proportion of Fe (OOH) ∼ P, contents of TP and organic carbon (OC) (P < 0.05). Even so, the sediment tended to adsorb phosphate rather than release P in most farming months. Overall, harmful ammonium and nitrite accumulated massively in fish ponds due to high P loads, while massive P might derive from exogenous inputs or endogenous sources such as sediment. This study uncovered the coupling interactions between N and P cycles in traditional aquaculture ponds, implicating that a balanced N and P management measures were recommended in aquaculture ponds during farming period.
Effect of different salinity on the growth performance and proximate composition of isolated indigenous microalgae species
2022, Aquaculture Reports
The suitable culture condition for specific microalgae species is vitally important for their optimal growth and biochemical production. Therefore, this study emphasized on the isolation and screening of indigenous microalgae species with high growth performance from Setiu wetlands, Terengganu, Malaysia. Successfully isolated microalgae were identified based on morphological and molecular approaches using 18S rDNA technique. Microalgae were screened to identify their species with high growth performance based on optical density and Nile red fluorescence dye. Further, the effect of different salinity towards the growth performance of isolated microalgae and proximate composition including protein, lipid, and carbohydrate were identified. Out of nine microalgae strain, three species of indigenous microalgae were successfully isolated and identified known as Chlorella vulgaris, Tetraselmis chuii, and Isochrysis galbana during 16 days of culture period. The highest optical density was found in C. vulgaris, T. chuii, and I. galbana with 1.228 ± 0.039 a.u, 0.758 ± 0.024 a.u and 0.853 ± 0.048 a.u, respectively. Chlorella vulgaris, T. chuii, and I. galbana were also showed the highest specific growth rate with 0.548 μmax/day, 0.686 μmax/day and 0.478 μmax/day, respectively. Using Nile red fluorescent dye screening, C. vulgaris, T. chuii and I. galbana also showed the highest fluorescence intensity of lipid, carotenoid and chlorophyll a content. Based on these criteria, C. vulgaris, T. chuii and I. galbana were selected for further determination on the effect of salinity towards the growth and proximate composition of the selected microalgae. The optimum salinity level of culture medium for T. chuii was 40 ppt with the highest cell density (6.215 × 10⁶ cells/mL; Day 6), protein content (40.47 ± 0.51% of dry weight) and carbohydrate content (42.57 ± 0.83% of dry weight). For I. galbana, 24 ppt was found to be the best culture medium in term of the highest cell density (20.58 × 10⁶ cells/mL; Day 7), and carbohydrate content (29.28 ± 0.47% of dry weight), while lipid content was highest at 40 ppt (15.68 ± 0.58% of dry weight). For C. vulgaris, 10 ppt was the best culture medium in term of the highest cell density (31.17 × 10⁶ cells/mL) and lipid content (13.12 ± 1.12% of dry weight), while carbohydrate and protein content were highest at 0 ppt with 44.53 ± 0.56% and 40.16 ± 2.22% of dry weight, respectively. Overall, the variation of salinity had affected the growth and biochemical compositions of C. vulgaris, T. chuii and I. galbana. Therefore, this study is important for the cultivation of C. vulgaris, T. chuii and I. galbana of different specific target by manipulating the salinity variation of culture medium that can be used as a feed in aquaculture industry.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text