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1 January 2024 Habitat Usage on an Oyster Aquaculture Farm: Impacts of Farm Activities and Biological Fouling on Marine Communities
Alexandria Ambrose, Daphne Munroe
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Abstract

There is growing evidence on how shellfish aquaculture can provide beneficial habitats for marine communities, yet gaps remain about how farm attributes contribute to habitat usage. To assess how farm tending activities and the presence of biological fouling on farming gear impact habitat usage, point-of-view action cameras were used to document fish activity in and around oyster cages, floating bags, and a natural marsh habitat on an oyster farm in the Little Egg Harbor region of Barnegat Bay, NJ in 2019. A total of 27 species from 4 phyla were observed with five species; Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia, mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus, grass shrimp Palaemonetes spp., blue crab Callinectes sapidus, and feather blenny Hypsoblennius hentz; accounting for over 98% of the total observations. Significantly more individuals were observed in the floating bags than in the other two habitat types. Farm tending activities had an overall neutral impact on the number of individuals observed on the farm, with Atlantic silverside being the only species observed more during tending activities. The median time it took for a fish to return after a human disturbance was 1.07 min. The two gear types were colonized by different biological fouling communities, which provided species-specific benefits. Heavy fouling attracted more individuals to the floating bags, whereas fouling had little impact on the number of individuals observed in the oyster cages. These data support how shellfish farms and their attributes can provide habitat provisioning for local species and be used to inform management.

Alexandria Ambrose and Daphne Munroe "Habitat Usage on an Oyster Aquaculture Farm: Impacts of Farm Activities and Biological Fouling on Marine Communities," Journal of Shellfish Research 43(3), 389-397, (1 January 2024). https://doi.org/10.2983/035.043.0310
Published: 1 January 2024
KEYWORDS
biological fouling
farm tending
fish habitat
oyster aquaculture
underwater video survey
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