Abstract Marine aquaculture is the fastest growing sector of global food production and is projected to increase to meet future demand. Expansion and modernization of cultivation methods are needed to reach this target but a cost-benefit evaluation for biodiversity conservation is required to achieve sustainable aquaculture practices. We assess drivers of avian richness and abundance in a long-established seabird community present in a series of longline mussel farms in Italy and in response to a recent modernization process in the farming methodology. Over 2 years (24 surveys) we detected a remarkable diversity (15 species in 5 families) and abundance (n = 5858) of birds, of which 40% (n = 6) are regarded as species of international conservation importance. Our models highlighted that the strongest driver explaining variation in abundance and richness across sites was the type of buoy and the associated cultivation method applied. The older and fast-declining double headrope design, offered greater stability for birds to rest. Conversely, the newer and mechanizable single headrope design dominant method in our study site and projected to replace the older system, was unsuitable for birds. Our findings confirm the function of mussel farms as a sort of marine protected area where low anthropogenic disturbance, higher prey availability and suitable artificial structures promote the establishment of seabird communities with minimal impacts on harvest. However, we suggest that potential modernization of farming methods, important to meet future human demand, needs to be carefully assessed and compensated for, particularly where long-established seabird communities have formed in response to such practices.

中文翻译：

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下沉还是游泳？贻贝养殖方法的现代化可能会对已建立的海鸟群落产生负面影响

摘要 海水养殖是全球粮食生产中增长最快的部门，预计会增加以满足未来的需求。要实现这一目标，需要扩大养殖方法并使其现代化，但需要对生物多样性保护进行成本效益评估，以实现可持续的水产养殖实践。我们评估了意大利一系列延绳贻贝养殖场中存在的历史悠久的海鸟社区中鸟类丰富度和丰富度的驱动因素，以应对最近的养殖方法现代化过程。2 年多来（24 次调查），我们发现了鸟类的显着多样性（5 个科的 15 种）和丰富的鸟类（n = 5858），其中 40%（n = 6）被视为具有国际保护重要性的物种。我们的模型强调，解释不同地点丰度和丰富度变化的最强驱动因素是浮标的类型和应用的相关栽培方法。较旧且快速下降的双头绳设计，为鸟类休息提供了更大的稳定性。相反，我们研究地点中较新且可机械化的单头绳设计主导方法并计划取代旧系统，不适合鸟类。我们的研究结果证实了贻贝养殖场作为一种海洋保护区的功能，在那里人为干扰低、猎物可用性高和合适的人工结构促进了海鸟群落的建立，对收获的影响最小。然而，我们建议潜在的现代化耕作方法，对于满足未来人类需求很重要，