Sediment condition at an Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) culture site in S.E. Tasmania, Australia was evaluated to determine the rate and extent of recovery after removal of farmed fish. By local standards the cage sediment at the start of this survey was markedly degraded but comparison with results from impact studies in Scotland, Canada and Norway suggests that the sediments were considerably less impacted than in northern temperate areas. The impact at the cages diminished rapidly with both time and distance; after only 2 months conditions were markedly improved. The macrobenthos indicated a slower recovery than chemical measures, after 36 months the benthic faunal community structure under the cages still differed from reference conditions even though other sediment measures had recovered. This study highlighted two other key issues in relation to monitoring and management of sediment recovery. First, techniques used to determine impact may not be appropriate for evaluation of recovery. Second, establishment of local baseline standards is extremely important to ensure appropriate evaluation of both impact and recovery. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Biological Sciences
Research Group:	Ecology
Research Field:	Marine and estuarine ecology (incl. marine ichthyology)
Objective Division:	Environmental Management
Objective Group:	Terrestrial systems and management
Objective Field:	Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems
UTAS Author:	MacLeod, C (Professor Catriona MacLeod)
UTAS Author:	Crawford, C (Dr Christine Crawford)
UTAS Author:	Moltschaniwskyj, NA (Associate Professor Natalie Moltschaniwskyj)
ID Code:	31495
Year Published:	2004
Web of Science® Times Cited:	59
Deposited By:	TAFI - Marine Research Laboratory
Deposited On:	2004-08-01
Last Modified:	2011-11-21
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