The aim of the study was to assess the effect of seaweed cultivation on the coastal environment. We analysed a multitude of environmental parameters using an asymmetrical before after control impact (BACI) design, comparing the seaweed farm (impact) with multiple unaffected locations (controls). The seaweed farm had a significant positive effect on benthic infauna (p<0.05) and was found to attract 17 mobile faunal and 7 other seaweed species, indicating that the farmed crop may provide habitat to mobile faunal species. A light attenuation of approximately 40% at 5m depth was noted at the peak of the seaweed biomass just before harvest. No changes were observed in benthic oxygen flux, dissolved nutrient concentrations, and benthic mobile fauna between farm and control sites. These results show that seaweed aquaculture has limited environmental effects, especially compared to other forms of aquaculture such as fish and bivalve farming.

中文翻译：

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海带（Saccharina latissima）水产养殖的环境影响。


该研究的目的是评估海藻种植对沿海环境的影响。我们使用不对称前后控制影响 (BACI) 设计分析了多种环境参数，将海藻养殖场（影响）与多个未受影响的地点（控制）进行了比较。海藻养殖场对底栖动物群具有显着的积极影响（p<0.05），并被发现吸引了 17 种移动动物和 7 种其他海藻物种，表明种植作物可以为移动动物物种提供栖息地。在收获前海藻生物量达到峰值时，在 5 m 深度处注意到约 40% 的光衰减。养殖场和对照地点之间的底栖氧气通量、溶解养分浓度和底栖移动动物群没有观察到变化。这些结果表明，海藻水产养殖对环境的影响有限，特别是与鱼类和双壳类养殖等其他形式的水产养殖相比。