The goal of this thesis was to detail spatial and temporal organic particulate dynamics at an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) site on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Canada. To accomplish this goal, in-situ optical measurements of particulate scattering (bp), particulate backscattering (bbp) and the particulate backscattering ratio (bbp:bp) were collected in conjunction with discrete sampling for particulate organic carbon (POC) and chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations. These measurements were performed over three seasons (autumn, winter and summer) at reference sites and at sites within and directly adjacent to the fish component of the IMTA system. Chapter 2 of this thesis focused on the examination of bio-optical relationships over various timescales (seasonally, daily and within-day) to describe temporal and vertical particulate variability and to assess the effectiveness of bio-optical methods for environmental monitoring. Autumn showed low bio-optical magnitudes with distinct lower cage increases possibly attributable to aquaculture derived wastes. In spring, sampling was performed over diatom bloom conditions, dominating the bio-optical measurements. During summer, an Emiliania Huxleyi bloom likely occurred, strongly enhancing bbp and bbp:bp magnitudes in the thermally stratified upper water column. Throughout these conditions, bp was predominantly influenced by chl a suggesting sensitivity to phytoplankton concentrations. While bbp was conditioned by chl a during the diatom bloom, it was also highly sensitive to the presence of inorganic and likely detrital materials. Finally, bbp:bp was sensitive to particulate compositions, showing low values (< 0.010) in diatom dominated waters and high values when refractive coccoliths were likely present. Notably, in autumn, bbp:bp was conditioned by detrital particles and along with bbp, showed post-feeding lower cage increases suggesting that these parameters could be useful candidates for particulate waste tracking during low ambient particle conditions. In chapter 3, the temporal, vertical and horizontal dispersion of the aquaculture derived particulate wastes are detailed. Autumn was the only period to show waste signals, likely due to their quick dilution into the particulate rich fields in spring/summer. During this period, post-feeding particulate waste increases were focused at the bottom of the cage with possible vertical sinking towards the seafloor. Minimal horizontal dispersion towards the scallop portion of the system was observed; however, more comprehensive sampling over differing hydrographic regimes is necessary to characterize waste dispersion. Based on our temporally limited autumn results, the most appropriate placement of uptake species for waste assimilation would be directly below the studied cage. Our results highlight the need for high spatial and temporal resolution methods for particulate monitoring within IMTA settings as discrete sampling may miss “patchy” waste dispersal streams. The bio-optical measurements performed during this study could fill this need as they can provide high resolution information on particulate concentrations and compositions not achievable solely through the use of discrete water sampling. With further research, optical instrumentation could be incorporated into IMTA systems allowing for the near real time and continuous collection of data on particulate dynamics. This knowledge could greatly aid in the design and implementation of systems optimized for waste removal by uptake species. / Graduate / 0792 / 0768 / 0752 / jdelbel@uvic.ca

Among efforts to develop sustainable approaches towards the intensive rearing of finfish within open marine waters, is the development of integrated aquaculture techniques. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), has been promoted as a way to reduce unwanted environmental impacts associated with the intensive production of marine finfish within net-pens. The principle aim of this concept, is the bioremediation of nutrient discharges from fish aquaculture. This is to be achieved by integrating fish cultivation with the growing of species from lower trophic levels, which use the nutrient discharges as a food source. Many studies have been performed that investigate the ability of various species of macroalgae to remove dissolved nutrient discharges, and the ability bivalves to remove solid-bound nutrients, presented as either fish faeces, or an enhanced production of phytoplankton that may be promoted by nutrients emitted by fish-farms. IMTA has also been suggested as a means to improve overall productivity per unit of feed applied to fish, through the conversion of nutrient emissions into additional biomass, such as the tissues of macroalgae or bivalves. Within the research community which focuses upon the environmental impacts of aquaculture, there is a growing awareness that sustainable solutions to aquaculture production cannot be realised through a focus restricted to the growing-phase, and to a limited set of environmental impacts which may this activity may produce. This is because changes to a specific production phase often promote changes at phases located elsewhere along a products value chain. Life-Cycle Assessment (LCA), is a method employed for modelling the environmental impacts that may potentially be generated across the value chain of a product. It is particularly useful for identifying instances of environmental impact shifting; a term used to describe situations where efforts to reduce the contribution of a specific production phase towards one or more environmental impacts, has the effect of either displacing this contribution to another phase, or increases the contribution of production towards different environmental impacts. Despite its apparent suitability, LCA has not previously been fully applied to the environmental impact modelling of open-water IMTA systems. The work presented in the following thesis advances this research front, by using LCA to explore the potential for environmental problem shifting occurring as a consequence of replacing intensive monoculture production, with IMTA. Comprehensive datasets have been acquired from the Chilean aquaculture industry, describing the production of aquafeed and Salmo salar, as well as for the production of the Phaeophytic macroalga, Macrocystis pyrifera, and the molluscan bivalve, Mytilus chilensis. Using LCA methodology, the production of salmon feed, and the production of S.salar, M.pyrifera and M.chilensis, have been assessed for their capacity to contribute towards a variety of global-scale, environmental impacts. IMTA consisting of either S.salar and M.pyrifera, S.salar and M.chilensis, or all three of these species, and combined at ratios required for a bioremediation efficiency of 100 %, 50%, or 20 % of either nitrogen or phosphorous emission from fish, is compared to the monoculture production of S.salar. The comparison is based upon a standardised functional unit, with each species produced through IMTA, being modelled as part of the reference flow required to fulfil the functional unit. Monoculture is compared to IMTA upon the basis of nutritional function, by using a functional unit of mass-adjusted protein content, and mass-adjusted economic value. The use of economic value is based upon the ‘best-case’ assumption, that it serves as a proxy for the total nutritional function that each product offers to human society. The LCAs presented in this study have produced a number of results. Salmon ingredients derived from agricultural crops and animals account for the majority (between 71 % to 98 %) of contributions towards the impacts of compound salmon feed. In general, agricultural crops ingredients contribute more to these impacts than do agricultural animal ingredients, and account for between 31 % and 87 % of the contributions from all ingredients and inputs. In contrast, the combined supply of fish meal and fish oil from capture fisheries is responsible for between 0.13 % and 11 % of all impacts. Vegetable oil accounts for the vast majority of contributions from ingredients derived from agricultural crops. Vegetable oil is modelled as a 50 : 50 blend of sunflower oil and rapeseed, oil, but sunflower oil accounts not only for most of the contributions from vegetable oil, it is responsible for over 50 % of the contributions that all agricultural crop based ingredients contributes towards some impact categories. Replacing sunflower oil with rapeseed oil reduces the contributions of salmon feed by between 6 % and 24 % across 10 out of the 11 impact categories. When compared upon the basis of equal weight, the contributions of fish oil are between 18 % and 99 % lower than those from rapeseed oil. The production of feed is responsible for the majority of contributions (between 32 % and 86 % ) to all impacts of salmon grow-out production. The production of salmon-smolts accounts for between 3 % and 18 %. The majority (64 %) of contributions towards the eutrophication potential of salmon production are from nutrient emissions, which are the result of fish metabolism, whilst nutrients released through the production of feed, the majority of these being from the agricultural production of crop and animals, account for 32 %. Feed production is also a major contributor to the impacts of land-based smolt production, but these contributions (between 12 % and 37 % across all impact categories) are of a lower magnitude than those from the supply of feed to the grow-out phase. Inputs of salt, and inputs of both electricity produced in a diesel power generator and obtained from the national electricity network, are also notable contributors (between 5 % and 67 %, 4 % and 29 %, and 2 % 47 %, respectively) towards the impacts of smolt-production. The main contributors towards the potential impacts of kelp grow-out production (excluding eutrophication potential) are the supply of infrastructure (between 14 % and 89 %), operation of a diesel-powered motorboat for maintenance purposes (between 1 % and 89 %), and the supply ‘of seeded cartridges’ (between 9 and 49 %). The major contributors from the production of ‘seeded cartriges’ in a land-based facility are the supply of electricity from the national electricity network, the supply of fresh water, and the treatment of waste water. The impact potentials of producing seed in this facility might be reduced if the scale of operation is increased. Removal of nitrogen and phosphorous upon the harvesting of kelp is calculated based upon kelp tissue contents of these nutrients. The harvesting of 200 tonnes ha / yr-1, results in a eutrophic potential with a negative value (-376.51 kg of phosphate equivalents). The removal of such a quantity of nutrients might be beneficial if the local marine environment is at risk of hypernutrification, but when no such problem is present, the potential for undesirable consequences of nutrient sequestration should be considered. The major contributor towards the impacts of mussels is the provision of infrastructure (between 25 % and 99.5 %, excluding eutrophication potential). Infrastructure is also responsible for the majority of contributions from mussel seed production. The provision of cotton mesh bags, which are used to aid attatchment of seed to drop-ropes in the grow-out phase, account for between 37% and 99 % of the contributions from the infrastructure from the grow-out phase. This result suggest that either the impacts of mussel production can be reduced by using an alternative material with lower environmental impact potentials, or the inventory data describing the producing of cottonmesh bags requires some improvement. The outcomes of the LCAs of the different IMTA scenarios, are interesting. The results show that choice of species, and the ratios of their combination as required for the different efficiencies of bioremediation, can have a significant effect upon the comparison between IMTA and monoculture. / The study demonstrates a potential for environmental problem shifting as being a consequence of IMTA, especially when the functional unit is mass-adjusted economic value. As bioremediation efficiency increases, contributions towards eutrophication decrease. However, this reduction is achieved at the cost of increasing the contributions of IMTA towards those impact categories, such as ‘ozone layer depletion,’ for which it has a greater contribution than does monoculture. In general, it cannot be concluded from these results that open-water IMTA represents a more sustainable alternative to the monoculture production of Atlantic salmon. The sustainability of IMTA is shown to be dependent upon a variety of trade-offs, between individual environmental impacts, and between these impacts and the nutritional function that the system is capable of providing.

La production de crevettes en Indonésie est en constante augmentation de part sa surface et l'intensification de ses élevages. Cette filière contribue au développement économique en milieu rural, à la sécurité alimentaire nationale, à l'emploi et au commerce extérieur. Cependant, ce développement rapide s'est accompagné d'effets écologiques et sociaux négatifs. Le développement de maladies dans les élevages ainsi que la dégradation de l'environnement côtier a conduit à l'abandon de 250 000 hectares de bassins dans le pays. Leur réhabilitation dans le cadre d'une activité durable est aujourd'hui une priorité pour le gouvernement indonésien.L'objectif de cette thèse est de développer des outils et des méthodes, basées sur de l’imagerie satellites à très haute résolution spatiale (THRS), (1) pour une meilleure gestion des sites de production et (2) pour réhabiliter les sites abandonnés. L'estuaire de la Perancak situé dans la Province de Bali, une zone de production en déclin, a été choisi comme site pilote. Ce travail a été réalisé dans le cadre du projet INDESO dont l'objectif était de fournir des outils et des méthodes pour une meilleure gestion des ressources côtières et marines en Indonésie.Le premier outil développé pour objectif de cartographier automatiquement les bassins d'élevage. A cet effet, une méthode basée sur la détection des contours a été mise en place et comparée à deux autres méthodes, la première basée sur la méthode de croissance des régions, la seconde sur une classification non supervisée (plus particulièrement la méthode Isocluster). Notre méthode a permis de détecter une forte proportion de bassins avec une meilleure précision.Le second outil avait pour objectif de distinguer les bassins actifs des bassins abandonnés. Un indicateur intégré (IPAI) basé sur quatre critères identifiés sur les images THRS que sont la présence d'eau, d'aérateur(s), de ponton(s) d'alimentation et de végétation, a été développé. Cet indicateur permet de distinguer significativement un bassin actif d'un bassin inactif. La présence de ponton est le critère qui s'est révélé être le plus discriminant.Cet indicateur a été utilisé sur l'estuaire de la Perancak pour suivre la dynamique d’abandon des bassins, liée au développement des maladies dans les élevages, entre 2001 et 2015. Deux facteurs de risque conduisant à l'abandon ont été mis en évidence : le climat et le positionnement des bassins au sein de l'estuaire. Ces résultats suggèrent qu'une approche spatiale doit être prise en compte pour la réhabilitation des bassins. Trois zones ont été définies à partir de leur résilience spatiale aux maladies. Le niveau de connectivité entre des bassins via le réseau hydrologique augmente le risque d'abandon. A noter que la présence actuelle des pathogènes (White Spot Syndrome Virus, WSSV) dans les bassins et probablement dans l'environnement génère une mémoire écologique défavorable à la réhabilitation de fermes aquacoles de crevettes.A partir de ces résultats, une première proposition de plan pour réhabiliter les bassins abandonnés a été formulée dans le cadre d'une approche écosystémique. Pour lutter contre les maladies, ce plan suggère de développer une aquaculture multi-trophique intégrée (AMTI), basée sur la diversité des espèces élevées et de leur positionnement dans la chaine trophique, à l'échelle de l'estuaire. Les méthodes et les études qui doivent être conduites pour rendre opérationnelle cette proposition sont discutées. / Shrimp farming production in Indonesia has continuously increased through a large expansion of cultured areas and stocking density intensification. This activity supports rural economic development and contributes to national food security, employment and foreign exchange earnings. However, this development has generated adverse ecological and social effects. As consequences of diseases and environmental degradations, there are currently 250,000 ha of abandoned ponds. Their rehabilitation, within a sustainable aquaculture framework, is actually a high priority for the Indonesian government.The objective of the present PhD work was to develop tools and methodologies to (1) enable better management for operating sites of shrimp industry and (2) rehabilitate abandoned sites using very high-resolution satellite (VHRS) imagery. The Perancak Estuary, located in Bali Province, is the production area in decline that has been chosen as study site. This work has been carried out in the frame of the INDESO project which was assigned to develop and provide tools and methods for better management of marine and coastal resources in Indonesia.The first developed tool was an automatic classification procedure for aquaculture mapping. A method based on Edge Detection on VHRS images was proposed and compared with those generated by Region Growing segmentation and unsupervised classification Isocluster. Edge Detection method could successfully create aquaculture map in the Perancak estuary by identifying a large proportion of existing ponds, with good overall accuracy.To implement effective procedure for appropriate aquaculture ecosystem assessment and monitoring, the second tool was an Integrated Pond Activity Indicator (IPAI). It aimed to discriminate active from abandoned ponds and was developed based on four criteria using VHRS images. Those criteria were: presence of water, aerator, feeding bridge and vegetation. This indicator succeeded in detecting active pond with a good accuracy, and feeding bridge appeared to be the most discriminant criteria.This second indicator has then been applied to the Perancak estuary to highlight the abandonment dynamic due to disease between 2001 and 2015. Two risk factors that could contribute to explain dynamics of abandonment were identified: climate conditions and pond locations within the estuary, suggesting that a spatial approach should be integrated in planning processes to operationalize pond rehabilitation. Three areas were defined based on their disease resilience. Ponds connectivity through water network increased the risk of disease development. The continued presence of shrimp pathogen species in ponds and probably in the environment (i.e. White Spot Syndrome Virus, WSSV) may generate ‘ecological memories’ that prevent to the return of shrimp productive system.These results were used to establish a first proposal of rehabilitation plan using an ecological approach. At the whole ecosystem scale, the development of an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA), based on the diversity of cultured species and their trophic status would be implemented. Methods and studies that would be conducted to operationalize sustainable pond rehabilitation are briefly discussed.

The global population is expected to increase and the greatest challenge for the world’s food-producing sector is to secure food and nutrition through sustainable production methods and reduced waste. Aquaculture is the cultivation of aquatic organisms including fish, molluscs, crustaceans and algae, and has a significant role in providing food and employment as the demand for food is increasing. In this study, conventional open-net pen farming was compared to semi-closed aquaculture systems (S-CCS), as well as the possibility of implementing integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) in Sweden. Open-net pens are cost-effective and well-proven methods, but due to environmental impacts, the opportunities are limited. Cultivation in S-CCS reduces the environmental impact by strengthening the barrier between the cultivated organism and the surroundings. Implementing IMTA offers the potential for diversification of aquaculture production and economic yield. Sweden has major potential to develop competitive aquaculture through sustainable technological solutions and by diversifying productivity. / Den globala befolkningen förväntas öka och den största utmaningen för världens livsmedelsproducerande sektor är att säkra tillgången på mat och näring genom hållbara produktionsmetoder och minskat avfall. Vattenbruk är odling av vattenlevande organismer inklusive fisk, blötdjur, kräftdjur och alger, och har en betydande roll för att tillhandahålla mat och sysselsättning när efterfrågan på mat ökar. I denna studie jämfördes konventionell kassodling med semi-slutna vattenbrukssystem (S-CCS), samt möjligheten att implementera integrerat multitrofisk vattenbruk (IMTA) i Sverige. Kassodling är kostnadseffektivt och en välbeprövad metod, men på grund av miljöpåverkan är möjligheterna begränsade. Odling i S-CCS minskar miljöpåverkan genom att stärka barriären mellan den odlade organismen och omgivningen. Implementering av IMTA erbjuder potential för diversifiering av vattenbruksproduktionen och ekonomisk avkastning. Sverige har stor potential att utveckla konkurrenskraftigt vattenbruk genom hållbara tekniska lösningar och genom att diversifiera produktiviteten.