Biofouling of salmon cage netting and the efficacy of a typical copper-based antifoulant

With the relatively recent advent of intensive aquaculture practices, there is a need for data on the contemporary biofouling and antifoulants associated with it. Therefore, experiments were conducted to yield data on the biological communities that develop on contemporary fish cage netting, both antifouled and untreated. The efficacy of a typical copper-based antifouling treatment was assessed through netting immersion trials performed at a salmon farm site in Clift Sound, Shetland. Over a 10-month period, regular samples were taken and data generated on the fouling biomass and species composition of the communities that developed. Furthermore, percentage net aperture occlusion values (PNO) were calculated with the aid of an image capture and analysis system, which is a methodology that shows excellent potential for use in future net fouling trials. Over the course of the trial, PNO values calculated from control netting rose quickly, but remained low for 150 days longer on treated nets; by day 210, PNO values were 98.72% and 3.06% for control and copper nets, respectively, immersed at 3 m. Following 10 months immersion, treated nets significantly reduced the biomass accumulation of biofouling compared to control nets (1.8 kg m− 2 as opposed to 4.9 kg m− 2). A total of 40 separate taxa were identified during the study, and species richness and composition data were significantly affected by the application of copper-based antifouling; for example, average species richness values were 16 and 9.75 for control and copper nets, respectively, immersed at 1 m. Of significance, the species Mytilus edulis and members of the Ascidiacea, including Ciona intestinalis and Ascidiella aspersa, were observed fouling the copper-treated netting.