Remote sensing of phytoplankton and water quality for monitoring interactions between aquaculture and the environment
Worldwide aquaculture production has been growing at an average rate of 8.9% per year since 1970, a greater growth rate than any other animal food-producing sector. Australian aquaculture was worth $732 million (farm-gate value) in 2003/04 representing 34% of all Australian fisheries production. Intensive sea-cage aquaculture, such as southern bluefin tuna aquaculture in South Australia, impacts the surrounding environment with potential feedback on the operations itself. One impact is the increase in dissolved nutrients in the water column that can potentially promote eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, with adverse affects for both the captive species and those in the surrounding environment. The impacts also interact with surrounding environmental conditions driven by atmospheric affects and shore-based industries.
This poster presents a review of previous research on aquaculture environment interactions, with a focus on satellite remote sensing for monitoring the environmental conditions surrounding aquaculture operations. Remote sensing has routinely been employed to assess the dynamics of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a and turbidity in many different aquatic environments and can be used to monitor ocean currents, algal blooms, and turbid water. It does appear possible to use remote sensing to study the complex interactions between aquaculture and the environment, but further research will continue to improve its capabilities.