Evaluation of indicators used to detect mussel farm influence on the benthos: Two case studies in the Magdalen Islands, Eastern Canada

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify appropriate indicators to determine the influence of mussel aquaculture on the benthic environment. Both sediment [particle size, sediment profile imaging (SPI), % OM] and benthic community (abundance, biomass, number of species, Margalef’s species richness, Shannon–Weiner diversity, Pielou’s eveness, individual body mass, trophic group, a biotic index — AMBI, and community structure) characteristics were evaluated at two mussel farms in Great-Entry (GE) and Havre-aux-Maisons (HAM) lagoons in the Magdalen Islands (Quebec, Canada). Sampling stations were positioned directly beneath the outer-most mussel lines (0 m) and at distances of 3, 6, 9, 15, 30 m and at a control site (at either 300 or 500 m) along a transect leading from each farm. Contrasting patterns were observed. At GE, sediment characteristics and benthic communities did not vary among stations and were characterized by low diversity, abundance and biomass. At HAM, % OM decreased and macrofaunal diversity and abundance increased with increasing distance from the farm. Biomass was low under the mussel line, increased between 3 and 30 m and was low again at 300 m. This was explained by the abundance of the polychaete Pectinaria granulata, which seems to have benefited from a moderate organic loading associated with the mussel farm. The mean individual biomass of the second-order opportunistic deposit feeders P. granulata and Heteromastus filiformis decreased with distance from the farm, whereas that of the pollution-sensitive suspension feeder Ensis directus and deposit feeder Tellina agilis increased with increasing distance from the farm. At HAM, the effects of mussel farming were restricted to the vicinity of the farm, while at GE the pattern was less clear. The GE mussel farm had either little effect on the local environment or else larger-scale but diffuse effects. The study showed that the a priori choice of the sampling stations and indicators may influence the interpretation of the results. Community structure and SPI were the most efficient indices for detecting both small- and broader-scale influences at both studied mussel farms.