IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v413y2019ics0304380019303412.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Effects of an aquaculture pesticide (diflubenzuron) on non-target shrimp populations: Extrapolation from laboratory experiments to the risk of population decline

Author

Listed:
  • Moe, S. Jannicke
  • Hjermann, Dag Ø.
  • Ravagnan, Elisa
  • Bechmann, Renée K.

Abstract

Marine aquaculture production has lately experienced high economic growth, but also concerns related to production and environmental contamination. For the Atlantic salmon aquaculture industry, the ectoparasitic crustacean salmon louse (Lepeophtheirus salmonis) has become a major problem. A common method to control populations of salmon lice within farm cages is treatment by various pharmaceuticals. One of the pesticides used in medicated feed for salmon is diflubenzuron (DFB), which acts as a chitin synthesis inhibitor and thereby interferes with the moulting stages during the development of this crustacean. However, DFB from fish feed may also affect non-target crustaceans such as the northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), which is an economically and ecologically important species. Nevertheless, the actual risk posed by this chemical to shrimp populations in nature is largely unknown. Laboratory experiments have demonstrated that both larval and adult shrimp exposed to DFB through medicated fish feed have reduced survival compared to control. Moreover, the effects of DFB exposure are more severe under conditions of higher temperature and reduced pH (ocean acidification), which can be expected in a future environment. The aim of this study is to make the individual-level information from laboratory studies more relevant for risk assessment at the population level. We have developed a density-dependent age-structured population model representing a northern shrimp population located in a hypothetical Norwegian fjord containing a fish farm, under both ambient and future environments. Our model is based on thorough documentation of shrimp biology and toxicological effects from the laboratory experiments. Nevertheless, extrapolating the reported individual-level effects of DFB to the population level poses several challenges. Relevant information on shrimp populations in Norwegian fjords is sparse (such as abundances, survival and reproductive rates, and density-dependent processes). The degree of exposure to DFB at different distances from aquaculture farms is also uncertain. We have therefore developed a set of model scenarios representing different DFB application schemes and different degrees of exposure for the shrimp populations. The model predicts effects of DFB exposure on population-level endpoints such as long-term abundance, age structure and the probability of population decline below threshold abundances. These model predictions demonstrate how the risk of DFB to shrimp populations can be enhanced by factors such as the timing (season) of DFB applications, the percentage of the population affected, future environmental conditions and environmental stochasticity.

Suggested Citation

  • Moe, S. Jannicke & Hjermann, Dag Ø. & Ravagnan, Elisa & Bechmann, Renée K., 2019. "Effects of an aquaculture pesticide (diflubenzuron) on non-target shrimp populations: Extrapolation from laboratory experiments to the risk of population decline," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 413(C).
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:413:y:2019:i:c:s0304380019303412
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108833
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380019303412
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2019.108833?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Åberg, Per & Svensson, Carl Johan & Caswell, Hal & Pavia, Henrik, 2009. "Environment-specific elasticity and sensitivity analysis of the stochastic growth rate," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(5), pages 605-610.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. M. Gabriela Sava & Luis G. Vargas & Jerrold H. May & James G. Dolan, 2022. "Multi-dimensional stability analysis for Analytic Network Process models," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 316(2), pages 1401-1424, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:413:y:2019:i:c:s0304380019303412. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.