This project provides research support for 2 PhD students - enabling them to target their studies to issues relevant to the local salmon farming industry in particular the need for research on “Nutrient Production” identified in TSGA research priorities (2011).
Growth of salmon farming in SE Tasmania is currently limited by a feed input cap. This has arisen as a result of concerns that increased nutrients associated with salmon farming may be affecting local water quality. In addition there have been anecdotal reports that changes in macroalgal community structure, and in particular proliferation of nuisance algae species (i.e. Ulva), are related to the expansion of local salmon farming operations.
These PhD projects in combination will specifically evaluate the response of macroalgal communities to changing nutrient and environmental conditions and the implications of this for local and system wide nutrient load management.
Scott Hadley is looking to evaluate the potential to mitigate/ offset nutrient loads using target species deployment and will look at testing scenarios in a model environment to establish spatial and temporal optima for such mitigation strategies.
Whilst Luis Henriquez aims to better define the effects of changing nutrient regimes on local macroalgal communities and to measure differences in nutrient assimilation capacity of key species under differing environmental conditions.
The combined research of these students will provide a much better understanding of the driving factors behind potential "hotspots" in estuarine systems, the likely effects of these on macroalgal communities and the potential for natural and managed nutrient offsets.