Forde James, O'Beirn Francis X, O'Carroll Jack Pj, Patterson Adrian, Kennedy Robert
RPS Group, Lyrr 2, IDA Business and Technology Park, Mervue, Galway, Ireland.
Marine Environment & Food Safety Services, Marine Institute, Rinville, Oranmore, Galway, Ireland.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2015 Jun 15;95(1):223-33. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.04.013. Epub 2015 May 8.
A considerable number of Ireland's shellfish production areas co-occur with or are adjacent to Natura 2000 sites which are protected under European legislation. To investigate the general interaction between trestle oyster cultivation and the surrounding intertidal environment, six sites were selected within designated Natura 2000 sites. At each trestle site three Treatment areas were sampled. One Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts associated with cultivation activities occurring at trestle structures (designated the Trestle Treatment) while one Treatment area corresponded to potential impacts due to cultivation activities occurring along access routes (the Access Treatment). An area not subject to any known anthropogenic activity was used as a control (the Control Treatment). Potential impacts associated with Trestle Treatment areas included changes in sediment total organic matter (TOM) levels underneath trestles due to the bio-deposition of faecal/pseudofaecal material while the predominant impact associated with Access Treatment areas was compaction of sediments due to heavy vehicle traffic. In this study, macrobenthic communities at the sites were highly variable and exhibited low levels of diversity which prevented the detection of general effects of cultivation activity on community structure, diversity and secondary production. To overcome this variability, the Infaunal Quality Index (IQI) was used to assess impacts on Ecological Status (ES) of benthic communities (sensu Water Framework Directive). Relative to Control and Trestle Treatment areas, activities occurring at Access Treatment areas had a significant negative impact on ES. This study highlights the potential of the IQI for the management of aquaculture activity and provides validation for the use of the IQI in Irish intertidal environments. This study also highlights the IQI as a potential tool for assessing the conservation status of designated habitats in Natura 2000 sites.
爱尔兰的相当一部分贝类产区与根据欧洲法律受到保护的“自然2000”保护区重叠或相邻。为了调查栈桥牡蛎养殖与周围潮间带环境之间的总体相互作用，在指定的“自然2000”保护区内选择了六个地点。在每个栈桥养殖点，对三个试验区进行了采样。一个试验区对应于栈桥结构上养殖活动产生的潜在影响（指定为栈桥试验区），而一个试验区对应于沿进出通道的养殖活动产生的潜在影响（通道试验区）。一个未受任何已知人为活动影响的区域用作对照（对照试验区）。与栈桥试验区相关的潜在影响包括由于粪便/假粪便物质的生物沉积导致栈桥下方沉积物总有机质（TOM）水平的变化，而与通道试验区相关的主要影响是由于重型车辆交通导致沉积物压实。在本研究中，这些地点的大型底栖动物群落高度可变，多样性水平较低，这使得无法检测到养殖活动对群落结构、多样性和次级生产力的总体影响。为了克服这种变异性，使用了底栖动物质量指数（IQI）来评估对底栖动物群落生态状况（ES）（根据《水框架指令》的定义）的影响。相对于对照试验区和栈桥试验区，通道试验区发生的活动对生态状况有显著的负面影响。本研究强调了IQI在水产养殖活动管理中的潜力，并为IQI在爱尔兰潮间带环境中的应用提供了验证。本研究还强调了IQI作为评估 “自然2000” 保护区指定栖息地保护状况的潜在工具。
