Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Settlement potential assessment of biofoulings in the Seabass cage culture farms: A case study in the Persian Gulf

Document Type : Original Manuscript

Authors
Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Marine Natural Resources, Khorramshahr University of Marine Science and Technology, Khorramshahr, Iran.
10.22113/jmst.2024.467651.2601
Abstract
The marine industries, specifically cage aquaculture, face a major economic and environmental issue with biofouling. The lack of management and control over biofouling in culturing cages may result in reduced aquatic growth and lower revenues. In order to design and construct marine structures with the efficiency that is expected, it is crucial to understand how the communities in a particular area have developed over time. Before stocking juveniles, the present study investigated the potential for biofouling settlement and diversity near a seabass cage culture farm. The space is three hectares and 12 circular cages, and the cages are 9 meters deep. Four series of panels were installed in the four directions of the cages at three depths of 1, 4, and 7 meters, with three replications in the present investigation. In the present study, 40 species of biofouling organisms were identified. At all four stations, the abundance percentage of recognized taxa at each depth indicates that the biofouling compositions were similar. The highest percentage average of abundance was found in Dinophyceae (56.460.46%), Gastropods (47.210.11%), and Bivalves (81.850.25%) at 1m, 4m, and 7m depth, respectively. The strongest correlation was observed between the biofoulings detected at 1 and 4 m during CCA testing. At a depth of 7 m, the biofoulings on the net showed a significant correlation with nutrients such as nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and silicate. It appears that aquaculture activities in cages would lead to an increase in organic matter and the growth of biofoulings on the nets. Therefore, it is likely that an increase in the biofouling population at this depth will occur after farmed fish are stocked and fed. Therefore, to protect the ecosystem and diversity of the sea is better to manage nutrient release and adhering biofoulings in different depths.
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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 02 February 2026

  • Receive Date 13 July 2024
  • Revise Date 27 July 2024
  • Accept Date 14 August 2024
  • Publish Date 02 February 2026