Essay On Aquaculture In Mauritius

An insight on the impacts of aquaculture on phytoplankton density in Mauritius.

Mahalaksmi Devi Dasi Doodee (1611757)1

1) University of Mauritius, Faculty of Science, Department of Biosciences and Ocean Studies.

Abstract Phytoplankton are microscopic organisms of paramount significance as they are the foundation of the aquatic food web and are also known as the primary producers. However, the concentration of these primary producers may vary due to activities going on in the aquatic environment such as aquaculture. Around an aquaculture farm, the water quality of the former environment changes and thus it also brings a change in phytoplankton density. This study investigates phytoplankton variations at 5 different stations at an aquaculture site in Mauritius in relation to the water quality; nitrate, phosphate, silicate, temperature, pH, salinity and dissolved oxygen.

Keywords: phytoplankton, aquaculture, phosphate, nitrate, sedgewick, Mauritius, silicate Introduction

Aquaculture refers to the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments including ponds, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. (NOAA Fisheries). Aquaculture producers are farming all kinds of freshwater and marine

2010). Then, samples were decanted to quarter and the concentrate was preserved in Lugol’s iodine solution (Meesukko et al. 2007) and kept at 4°C (Bhunjun and Appadoo, 2016). 1ml of the sample is then drawn by a pipette and poured onto the Sedgewick rafter cell for counting. After filling the cell, it was left to stand on the stage of the microscope for 15 – 20 minutes, to allow the algal cells to settle to the bottom. A light inverted microscope was used for enumeration and identification of the phytoplankton at magnification x100, x200 and x400. Counts were generally made along the rows of the counting cell and identification was done in