Rj. Anderson et al., Upwelling and fish-factory waste as nitrogen sources for suspended cultivation of Gracilaria gracilis in Saldanha Bay, South Africa, HYDROBIOL, 399, 1999, pp. 455-462
In Small Bay, Saldanha, the water becomes highly stratified in summer. The
cold bottom layer (of upwelling origin) is rich in nitrogen, some of which
enters the surface layer by advection. However, the surface water often bec
omes warm and oligotrophic leading to poor growth or death of Gracilaria gr
acilis grown in experimental suspended systems. At the same time, large qua
ntities of nitrogen-rich fish waste are released at a particular site in th
e bay. We tested the hypothesis that Gracilaria grown close to the site of
waste release (1.5 km away and in the waste plume) would grow faster than a
t the control site 3.5 km away. In October and November (early summer) 1996
, all the Gracilaria at the control site died, while growth at the fish was
te site was good (between 8 and 10% day(-1)). In November-December control
plants grew slightly faster than those from the waste site, in February the
reverse occurred, and subsequently (March-June) growth was similar at both
sites as winter winds caused mixing of the water column. These results, an
d analyses of the C/N ratios of the Gracilaria tissues provide some support
for our hypothesis. Also, analyses of the stable N isotope ratios in the G
racilaria tissues indicate that there is considerable uptake of the fish-wa
ste N even at the control site. We conclude that while proximity to the was
te site may sometimes benefit the Gracilaria, the fish waste would in fact
provide a significant source of N for seaweed cultivated throughout the nor
thern area of Small Bay, particularly when the water is highly stratified i
n summer.