Download Power Point - Aquaculture Management

Environmental Management
planning
Patrick White and Doris Soto
Presentation summary
• Impacts of aquaculture
• Environmental management planning
• Environmental management plan
Main impacts of aquaculture
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Aquatic Ecology
Benthic and water column impacts;
Sensitive habitats and species;
Interaction with predators; and
Interaction with wild fisheries (Escapes and Genetic impact)
• Predator and Wildlife Interactions
• Chemical inputs, sanitary impacts
Sediment and Water Quality
Sediments
• Cage farms have the potential to cause environmental
harm due to sediment accumulation under farms. The
causes include settlement of faeces and uneaten food,
detachment of fouling debris from nets, or sloughing of
antifouling materials.
Water column
• Cage farms and effluents from pond farms can affect
water quality near the farm due to excretion of
metabolic wastes by the fish.
Sediment and Water Quality
• The occurrence or severity of aquaculture
nutrient impacts varies greatly among locations
and regions.
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• Sediment monitoring is the most practical means
of detecting change
Escapes and Genetic impact
Cultured fish escapees can affect wild fish by
• competing with them for food and/or habitat
• transmission of disease
• Interbreeding with wild fish leading to changes in
genetic population profile.
Sensitive habitats and species
• Aquaculture may cause changes through water quality,
smothering from waste material and physical disturbance
from constructing ponds or mooring systems for fish cages or
mollusc rafts.
• The EIA should identify important, rare or vulnerable
examples of marine natural heritage and provide enhanced
protection where these are vulnerable to impacts from
proposals.
• Sites of particular value for nature conservation should be
protected especially for Marine Protected Areas, conservation
areas
• Areas that have important bird populations, wetlands of
importance such as as waterfowl habitats and nesting beaches
for turtles.
Wild fisheries
The potential effects from commercial fish farming on wild
fisheries include:
• Loss of fishing area
• Interference with fishing operations
• Escaped farmed fish may breed with wild stocks reducing
the genetic diversity and vigour of local populations;
• Transmission of disease and parasites from farmed to
wild fish.
Escapes and Genetic impact
Cultured fish can escape from farms under a number of
circumstances.
• holes develop in nets due to wear and tear,
• collisions with boats,
• human error
• attack by large predators
• during severe weather, which can tear nets
• when fish are removed from the water for grading or
harvesting,
• if net meshes are too large for the smallest fish stocked in the
cages.
Predator and Wildlife Interactions
• Fish cage farms may be located in areas where abundant
wildlife is common.
• Wildlife species may interact with farms because they are
frightened by the farms’ presence or because they are
attracted to farms as habitat, somewhere to perch or
hide, or a place to find food.
• In many cases these “physical interactions” with wildlife
are harmless, but in some cases, they can injure wildlife
through entanglement and drowning, or damage farm
equipment.
Predator and Wildlife Interactions
Wildlife species that interact with farms
• diving birds that attack small fish through net meshes,
• predatory birds that take fish from the surface,
• small marine mammals such as seals that enter cages
and kill fish and turtles may get entangled in nets.
• Large marine mammals (dolphins) or fish (tuna) may
attack fish from the outside and damage nets.
Chemical inputs, sanitary impacts
Chemical and sanitary impacts
• Medication is often used for the treatment of disease
• Antifoulants used for protecting nets, etc.
• chemicals to treat fish for parasites or diseases,
• careless waste disposal
• spills of fuel
• When chemicals are added to the environment, a
specific item may be retained in the environment and the
impact of this should be estimated.
Storage and Disposal of Farm Supplies
• Farms generate waste that can cause pollution, odours and
human health hazards when not disposed of properly.
• Human food scraps, out-of-date feed and other organic waste
can attract scavengers.
• Empty plastic bags and other containers used for feed and
other materials do not decompose quickly can be a hazard to
animals that become entangled in them or ingest them.
• Safe, responsible transport, storage, handling and disposal of
these materials are necessary at all times.
Disposal of solid wastes
The disposal of:
• Feed bags
• Chemical containers
• Fish mortalities and ensiling
• Old Cages, tanks and redundant equipment
• Old cage nets
• Wooden pallets
• Solid wastes should be be stored prior to disposal at a land
base
Visual and sound
• Visual impact concerns mostly how visible the cages are from
the shore and what the landscape impacts are in the case of
land installations.
• Usually there is no air pollution but there may be some smell.
• There can be sound pollution from pumps, aerators, outboard
motors, electricity generating equipment
• Mitigation measures may relate to the size and colour of the
cages, with a preference for black or blue cages, as well as
reducing the size of above-water physical elements in order to
reduce the seascape impact
• They may also include siting the cages far from the shore or
using submersible cages.
Socioeconomic impacts
• Positive impacts of production on the
• Number of new direct and indirect employment, and its relation
to local employment.
• Impacts on the local economy, such as income, taxes and exports,
are also a key element.
• Negative socioeconomic impacts can include
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fisheries,
tourism,
Navigation
diving.
• Mitigation measures can include training and employing
locals, developing partnerships with local companies and in
general making a positive impact on the local economy
(through employment, income, taxes, exports, and transport
and harbour infrastructure).
Impacts of Aquaculture Inputs and Resource use
Seeds
Feeds
Energy
Water
Land and
coastal habitats
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Excessive water
use in ponds
Diminished
water flows
Biodiversity
losses
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
coastal
communities and
other users
Land salinization
over fishing of
wild seeds
Habitat degradation
(e.g. Mangroves,
By-catch of other
seeds
lake bottom)
Biodiversity
losses
Biodiversity
losses
Productivity
declines
Productivity
declines
protection
services lost
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
coastal
communities and
other users
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
coastal
communities and
other users
over fishing of
wild feeds
(e.g. trashfish)
over fishing of
wild pelagics
for fish meal
Productivity
declines
Impacts on
Local and Global
Fisheries, local
and global
stakeholders
Excessive energy
use and Carbon
emissions
Contribution
to Climate
Change
Indirect impacts on
Local and Global
Fisheries, local
and global
stakeholders
Impacts of Aquaculture Outputs
Food
Seeds
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Food Security
Livelihoods
= Social
Wellbeing
Alternative to fishing
(may enhance
biodiversity
protection)
Restocking
May enhance
fisheries
productivity
Excessive
Nutrients
Organic mater
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Eutrophication
Deterioration
of benthic habitats
Escape of
Chemicals
farmed
organisms
(and parasites)
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Predation and
competition
with wild fish
and genes
Transmission
of diseases
Biodiversity
losses
Productivity
decline
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
and coastal
communities
Biodiversity
losses
Productivity
decline
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
and coastal
communities
Biodiversity
losses
Productivity
decline
Impacts on
Local Fisheries
and coastal
communities
Environmental Management
Planning
• The purpose of an Environmental Management plan
(EMP) is to identify the management measures aimed at
preventing or minimising potential adverse
environmental impacts arising from
• the construction/installation
• the operation of the aquaculture operation
• the decommissioning stages.
• The EMP should also ensure compliance with
environmental regulatory requirements.
Purpose
The purpose of the management plans, monitoring
programs and protocols are to:
• Ensure that aquaculture best practices are employed
during the construction/installation and operation and
decommissioning stages
• Minimise marine fauna interactions;
• Maintain water quality and ensure nutrient inputs are
within safe levels for both humans and the marine
communities;
Purpose
• Minimise the occurrence of diseases, parasites, pests and
escapees and provide prompt management and/or
remedial action if these events occur;
• Ensure the safety of staff and surrounding communities;
• Ensure waste is appropriately disposed of;
• Maintain navigational safety ; and
• Evaluate the performance of the aquaculture operation
by reviewing environmental management and
monitoring records
Content of an EMP
• Structure and Responsibility of the implementation person or
team
• Data collection and analysis.
• Reporting requirements for the activities
• Environmental Training Plan and activities for the personnel
• Emergency Contacts and Response plan
• Complaints Handling protocols for Community and other
complaints
• Environmental Management sub-plans to be developed to
provide guidelines for the operation of the farm.
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Waste Management Plan.
Work Health and Safety Management Plan.
Traffic Management Plan.
Marine Fauna Interaction Management Plan.
Disease, Parasite and Pest Management Plan.
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ToC EMP
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Structure and Responsibility of the implementation person or team by providing the
organisational structure and specific environmental management responsibilities of the
team members
Data collection and analysis.
Reporting requirements for the activities in terms of frequency and distribution of the
results and report
Environmental Training Plan and activities for the personnel detailing the appropriate
training and the required skills and qualifications to fulfil their respective roles in a
competent manner
Emergency Contacts and Response plan to enable it to promptly and effectively deal with
emergency situations. The emergency response plan will include qualified personnel, specific
actions to be undertaken in response to different emergency situations, the reporting
requirements and regular training.
Complaints Handling protocols for Community and other complaints in relation to the
operation of the farm including the recording of the complaints on a register and the
method to determine the most appropriate action
Environmental Management sub-plans to be developed to provide guidelines for the
operation of the farm.
o Waste Management Plan. The Waste Management Plan will be developed to ensure
responsible waste management and disposal including provisions for recycling
materials and the disposal of wastes at approved disposal facilities. The plan will also
include procedures on the handling and storage of wastes, including biological
waste, general waste, as well as the provision of appropriate containers for storage
and disposal, net cleaning and biofouling management.
o Work Health and Safety Management Plan. The on-going success of the research
trial relies on the competency and safety of farm personnel. Staff training should
cover potential Work Health and Safety hazards including SCUBA diving,
construction and deployment activities, service and maintenance activities,
associated navigation issues, use and storage of chemicals, contamination of feed,
stock and the environment, as well as waste disposal.
o Traffic Management Plan. The Traffic Management Plan will consider the
movements of road vehicles and marine vessels. The plan will address potential
impacts on marine fauna and other road and waterway users, particularly in relation
to navigational safety, the maintenance of navigation buoys, minimising the risk of
boat strikes to marine fauna, minimising acoustic pollution, the towing of sea cages
and mitigating road congestion issues associated with the transport of products and
movement of staff.
o Marine Fauna Interaction Management Plan. The Marine Fauna Interaction
Management Plan will be developed to identify and mitigate potential impacts on
marine animals through direct and indirect interactions
o Disease, Parasite and Pest Management Plan. The cultured organisms may be
exposed to a range of endemic diseases, parasites and pests. The Disease, Parasite
and Pest Management Plan will outline preventative measures (e.g. how to minimise
stress to stock associated with stocking density, water quality and predatory
interactions), inspection schedules (surveillance program), identification procedures,
contact details of appropriate personnel to assist with the management of
pathogens and treatments for stock and infrastructure (e.g. veterinary specialists).