#132 Coastal Fish Farms

Coastal fish farms seem to do less harm to nearby plants and animals than previously believed, a new study reveals. And marine ecosystems can recover from this damage [1] fast. But the analysis of a single trout farm internationally renowned in a Faroe Islands fjord over nearly a year also shows that these facilities [2] placed carefully, and that there's a limit to how many can operate in a particular area before its biodiversity suffers lasting harm. In coastal farms, fish live in large cages hanging from pontoons on the surface. Fish feces and uneaten food sink to the seabed, affecting its ecosystem. Badly managed farms can also [3] serious effects on the surrounding water column. The team monitored the cages, [4] containing some 770,000 young trout. They measured the flow of the vital nutrients carbon and nitrogen through the system, also tracking the farmer's activities, changing water conditions and the quantity of waste deposited on the seabed below.