Supporting ecosystem services of habitat and biodiversity in temperate seaweed (Saccharina spp.) farms

Habitat provisioning, and the biodiversity within, is considered a type of supporting ecosystem service. Ecosystem services are the benefits humans receive from healthy ecosystems. We assess whether kelp (Saccharina spp.) farms provide seasonal habitat for wild organisms. Contrary to other studies conducted in tropic seaweed farms, we did not observe habitat provisioning or increased biodiversity at seasonal temperate seaweed farm sites compared to neighboring non-farm sites, which is encouraging news for the aquaculture industry given that most farm gear is removed from the water after the spring harvest. We quantified fish and crustaceans interacting with kelp farms using GoPro cameras. We also assessed small (<5 mm) invertebrates using mesh settling devices suspended at the same depth as kelp lines (2m). Visual surveys were paired with eDNA. There was coherence in the conclusions drawn from observational and eDNA methods, despite weak coherence in the specific species identified between the methods. Both farm and non-farm sites exhibited higher species richness and biodiversity in the summer non-growing season compared to the winter growing season, attributed to expected seasonal species movements.

Automated summary

This study assessed whether kelp farms provide seasonal habitat for wild organisms and examined the interactions between fish, crustaceans, and small invertebrates with the farms. Unlike tropical seaweed farms, no habitat provisioning or increased biodiversity was observed at seasonal temperate seaweed farm sites, which is positive news for the aquaculture industry.