Work packages
A
review will be made of the current regulations governing marine fish cage
farms and of the environmental monitoring required at such farms operated
in Norway, Scotland and elsewhere. The aspects of these regulations and
requirements that are appropriate to marine cage farms in the
Mediterranean will be identified and adapted to reflect the differing
conditions. The best practices currently being used in regulating cage
aquacultural operations in the other areas will then be used to suggest
guidelines, control protocols and monitoring techniques suitable for
regulating cage farms in the eastern Mediterranean.
Surveys will be undertaken at a series of cage farms in Greece that are representative of different environmental conditions and farming practices. Environmental conditions in the water column and sediments will be measured in the vicinity of the cages and in control areas beyond the influence of the cages. Assessments will be made of the benthic infauna and epifauna and of wild fish populations in both control and impact areas. Fish assemblages around cage farms and their effect on the flux of solid wastes will be evaluated. Detailed feed and production data from the farms over the years prior to the surveys will be collected. These various information sets will be analysed and collated to provide both an overview of the environmental impact of cage farms in the eastern Mediterranean and an appropriate data set to drive and validate a predictive model of cage farm effects.
This model will build on
the experience already gained in modelling impacts at marine cage farms.
Current models based on conditions in northern European tidal waters will
be reconfigured and developed to ensure that model outputs truly reflect
the complexity of Mediterranean conditions and are sufficiently sensitive
to safeguard the interests and needs of both the industry and the
regulatory authorities.
The project comprises four workpackage
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WP1: Development of an appropriate set of protocols, monitoring systems and techniques for the control of marine cage fish farms
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WP2: Field research programme to provide appropriate data on the impact on the sedimentary environment of marine cage fish farms in a range of conditions
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WP3: Fish assemblages around cage farms and their effect on the flux of solid wastes.
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WP4: Development of a modelling tool for predicting the environmental response to waste inputs from marine cage farms production of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead sea bream (Sparus auratus) in the eastern Mediterranean.