engleski

Post-escape movements and habitat use of farmed sea bream Sparus aurata in the eastern Adriatic Sea

One of the main negative effects associated with cage aquaculture is the accidental escape of domesticated individuals from farms due to technical and operational failures, net holes or similar. Among others, farmed escapees can affect wild populations through competition for food, transfer of pathogens and interbreeding with wild fish.Development of recapture strategy is advisable although post-escape behaviorism, dispersal potential and farmed fish survival in wild has only been sporadically investigated in the central Mediterranean.Thus, in the present study we monitored escape incidents of seabream tagged with acoustic transmitters at one farm located in the eastern Adriatic Sea, and monitored fish movements using passive acoustic telemetry. Most of the tagged individuals (80%) were close to full time residents in the monitored area within the first weeks after release. Later, fish dispersion occurred accompanied by high capture rate by local fishermen (30%) within the investigated bay. Still, few individuals remained at the release farm throughout the study period.The obtained results can be helpful in development of methodologies and strategies to recapture escapees.

Seabeam, escapees, impact

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