Understanding the fate of shrimp aquaculture effluent in a mangrove ecosystem: aiding management for coastal conservation

1. Areas dedicated to shrimp aquaculture have increased dramatically over the last 50 years. Resultant land-use changes directly threaten the extent of mangroves and yield conflicts on the discharge location of aquaculture effluent.
2. Khung Krabaen Bay (KBB), Thailand, is reforesting mangroves while increasing the efficiency of shrimp aquaculture for local farmers. In this coupled shrimp farm-mangrove system, effective management requires understanding the fate of aquaculture organic matter (OM) in the coastal environment.
3. We examined carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N) in primary producers and pools of particulate and sediment OM (POM, SOM) from the KKB mangrove and marine ecosystem to determine how shrimp aquaculture OM contributes to the coastal environment. Here, soy-based shrimp feed resulted in low shrimp δ15N, similar to marine POM, and thus we focus on the use of δ13C in tracking shrimp pond effluent in the environment.
4. δ13C signatures of SOM varied sig...