Hehre E James, Meeuwig J J
Sea Around Us Project /Fisheries Center, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
School of Animal Biology and Centre for Marine Futures (Oceans Institute), University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
PLoS One. 2015 Mar 30;10(3):e0118838. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118838. eCollection 2015.
As the global demand for seaweed-derived products drives the expansion of seaweed farming onto shallow coral ecosystems, the effects of farms on fish assemblages remain largely unexplored. Shallow coral reefs provide food and shelter for highly diverse fish assemblages but are increasingly modified by anthropogenic activities. We hypothesized that the introduction of seaweed farms into degraded shallow coral reefs had potential to generate ecological benefits for fish by adding structural complexity and a possible food source. We conducted 210 transects at 14 locations, with sampling stratified across seaweed farms and sites adjacent to and distant from farms. At a seascape scale, locations were classified by their level of exposure to human disturbance. We compared sites where (1) marine protected areas (MPAs) were established, (2) neither MPAs nor blast fishing was present (hence "unprotected"), and (3) blast fishing occurred. We observed 80,186 fish representing 148 species from 38 families. The negative effects of seaweed farms on fish assemblages appeared stronger in the absence of blast fishing and were strongest when MPAs were present, likely reflecting the positive influence of the MPAs on fish within them. Species differentiating fish assemblages with respect to seaweed farming and disturbance were typically small but also included two key target species. The propensity for seaweed farms to increase fish diversity, abundance, and biomass is limited and may reduce MPA benefits. We suggest that careful consideration be given to the placement of seaweed farms relative to MPAs.
随着全球对海藻衍生产品的需求推动海藻养殖向浅海珊瑚生态系统扩张，养殖场对鱼类群落的影响在很大程度上仍未得到探索。浅海珊瑚礁为高度多样化的鱼类群落提供食物和庇护所，但正日益受到人为活动的改变。我们假设，将海藻养殖场引入退化的浅海珊瑚礁有可能通过增加结构复杂性和可能的食物来源为鱼类带来生态效益。我们在14个地点进行了210条样带调查，采样在海藻养殖场以及与养殖场相邻和远离养殖场的地点进行分层。在景观尺度上，根据各地点受人类干扰的程度进行分类。我们比较了以下几种地点：（1）设立了海洋保护区（MPA）的地点；（2）既没有MPA也没有爆破捕鱼的地点（因此为“未受保护”地点）；（3）发生爆破捕鱼的地点。我们观察到了代表38个科148个物种的80186条鱼。在没有爆破捕鱼的情况下，海藻养殖场对鱼类群落的负面影响似乎更强，而在有MPA的情况下影响最强，这可能反映了MPA对其中鱼类的积极影响。区分鱼类群落与海藻养殖和干扰情况的物种通常体型较小，但也包括两种关键目标物种。海藻养殖场增加鱼类多样性、丰度和生物量的倾向有限，可能会降低MPA的效益。我们建议，应仔细考虑海藻养殖场相对于MPA的位置。
