Effects of Aquaculture Pens on Coastal Water Quality

Marine aquaculture is increasing, resulting in pressure to expand aquaculture facilities in near-shore estuaries and bays, and even to build facilities in offshore waters. Wastes and nutrients from fish pens may be altering the character of the surrounding ecosystems and potentially posing a hazard to human health. This project develops a computer simulation tool that can predict where, and in what concentrations, the dissolved waste from aquaculture fish pens will move in the marine environment. Concentrated waste plumes from fish farms could travel significant distances to reach coastlines, according to a study co-authored by Roz Naylor and Jeffrey Koseff, senior fellows at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford. The study is the first detailed look at how "real world" variables, such as tides and currents, influence the flow of waste from fish farms and impact waterways and surrounding shorelines.