Predicting the impact of prawn effluent on the assimilative capacity of coastal waterways in north Queensland

The assimilative capacity of the receiving environment for the major nutrients and sediments in prawn farm effluent was quantified by describing the dynamics of C, N, O, and P pathways in the substrate and water column of discharge channels and creeks, to determine the environmental impact of prawn farm effluent.Existing hydrodynamic models of the Hinchinbrook Channel and Port Douglas estuaries were refined and extended in order to predict the behaviour of prawn farm effluent entering coastal waterways, thus enabling simulation modelling of the carrying capacity of the environment for prawn farming. To develop methods for the determination of the capacity of the receiving environment to assimilate effluent from prawn farms, methods to develop sustainability indicators for aquaculture, and a scientific basis for the objective evaluation of sustainable aquaculture management options. This project was funded by AIMS, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC Project 97/212) and Aquaculture CRC Ltd (Project E1).This data was combined with other relevant data from CSIRO and UQ to produce a synthesis from several prawn farms along the Queensland coast. See:Burford M, Costanzo SD, Dennison WC, Jackson CJ, Jones AB, McKinnon AD, Preston N and Trott LA (2003) A synthesis of dominant ecological processes in intensive shrimp ponds and adjacent coastal environments in NE Australia. Marine Pollution Bulletin 46:1456-1469.