engleski

Cage aquaculture - impact of accidental fish escape on environment

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. Exact quantification of escaped fish is difficult to estimate, but one study of six European countries over three years found that nearly 9 million fish escaped from sea cages and over 75% were accounted for by escapes of gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata. Over the past ten years, a significant increase of wild gilthead seabream populations has been documented along the Mediterranean coasts, particularly in the Adriatic Sea. Due to population increase, gilthead sea bream predation started to play an important role in shellfish aquaculture sustainability considering the observed mussel losses. Abundance of S. aurata has recently increased along Brittany coasts, showing good adaptation and acclimatisation to colder waters than in its original distribution range.

Escapees from aquaculture, telemetry study, behaviorism, home range

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