Effects of Fouling Management and Net Coating Strategies on Reared Gilthead Sea Bream Juveniles.

Jordi Comas,Joan Carles Balasch,Lluís Tort,David Parra

doi:10.3390/ani11030734

Jordi Comas, Joan Carles Balasch + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030734

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Abstract

In aquaculture, biofouling management is a difficult and expensive issue. Cuprous oxide has been commonly used to prevent fouling formation. To cheapen net management and reduce the use of copper, the industry has proposed several alternatives. Currently, polyurethane coatings are being explored and commercially implemented. With this alternative, net cleaning is done in situ, reducing the number of nets necessary to raise a batch, thus ideally reducing operational costs. This pilot study compared this new strategy to the use of cuprous oxide. The results show that nets treated with antifouling perform better and bioaccumulation of copper in fish tissues do not pose health risks to fish. Alternatives involving on-site cleaning need to improve efficiency. Although the conditions of this work are not completely comparable to commercial aquaculture conditions, the results might indicate the strengths and constrains of the solutions tested in real life.

Highlights

Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing industries globally
Temperature was below the optimal range for the culture of this species, but it did not pose a risk to the animals’
Our results show that antifouling coating in C1 avoid fouling formation, while polyurethane coatings in C2 and C3 did not prevent fouling formation, after image analysis, the effect of the small amount of antifouling present in C2 treatment was clearly detectable, resulting in a much lower Percentage Net Occlusion (PNO) in C2 than in C3

Summary

Introduction

Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing industries globally. Its objective is to meet the ever-increasing demand for aquatic food sources, while understanding fisheries’progress and limitations. Aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing industries globally. Its objective is to meet the ever-increasing demand for aquatic food sources, while understanding fisheries’. Cage aquaculture represents more than 65% of finfish production in Europe and the Americas with approximately 4.3 million tons produced in 2014 and is increasingly being introduced all over the world to places where conditions allow it [1]. The term fouling could be defined as the attachment and growth of living organisms such as bacteria, algae, bryozoans, and mollusks, among others, on surfaces immersed in the aquatic environment. Fouling formation is a natural phenomenon that occurs globally and is implicit in any activity developed at sea, including boats and aquaculture cages. Fouling growth is positively correlated with environmental factors such as water temperature, nutrient richness, and light hours. Its control has been pursued for a while [2]

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