Seasonal analysis of artificial oyster reef ecosystems: implications for sustainable fisheries management
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Seasonal analysis of artificial oyster reef ecosystems: implications for sustainable fisheries management Min Xu 1,2 & Xin yuan Yang 3 & Xiao jing Song 1,2 & Kai da Xu 4 & Lin lin Yang 1,2 Received: 28 April 2020 / Accepted: 27 October 2020/ # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract
Oyster reef habitats in estuarine areas are an important marine ecosystem globally. Due to the destruction of oyster reef habitats within the Luanhe River estuarine area, Bohai Sea, China, a local fisheries company created 2 km2 of artificial oyster reef habitats by deploying artificial reef blocks that provided a settling surface for a natural oyster population and conducted sea cucumber aquaculture. The aims of this study are to help fisheries managers to understand whether the ecosystem function of created oyster reef habitat is consistent throughout the seasons and to assess if the current fishing production policy which varies with seasons is reasonable. We presented steady-state trophic models in different seasons of a newly created artificial coastal oyster reef within the Luanhe River estuary to address the above issues. We concluded that seasonality is an important factor that needs to be carefully considered in the fisheries management of oyster reef ecosystems. Keywords Seasonality . Food web structure . Artificial oyster reefs . Luanhe River Estuary . Bohai Bay . Ecopath with Ecosim
* Lin lin Yang [email protected]
1
Key Laboratory of East China Sea and Oceanic Fishery Resources Exploitation, Ministry of Agriculture, Shanghai 200090, China
2
East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai 200090, China
3
Hebei Provincial Technology Innovation Center for Coastal Ecology Rehabilitation, Tangshan Marine Ranching Co. Ltd., Tangshan 063610, China
4
Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316021, China
Aquaculture International
Introduction Globally, oyster habitats were once a dominant ecological component of estuaries, which promoted coastal economies for centuries (Beck et al. 2009). They provided many ecological values, including fisheries, water filtration, shoreline stabilization, coastal defense, and food and habitat for many animals (e.g., fish, crabs, birds) (National Research Council 2010). However, oysters have suffered severe declines worldwide as a result of overharvesting and anthropogenic habitat degradation, driving oysters to the brink of ecological extinction in many temperate estuaries (Beck et al. 2009). Recently, some efforts have been made to restore oyster habitats (Coen et al. 2007; Fulford et al. 2010). Within the Luanhe River Estuary, Bohai Sea, China, a local fisheries company (Tangshan marine ranching Ltd.) has constructed 2 km2 of artificial oyster reefs, and successfully obtained sustainable economic outputs (ca. $230,000, unpublished commercial data) annually through the fishing and marine ranching (“put and take” fishery) of the sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicas in this area. Historically, the Luanhe River estuary area
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