Action

Eco friendly biofouling prevention

How is the evidence assessed?
  • Effectiveness
    not assessed
  • Certainty
    not assessed
  • Harms
    not assessed

Study locations

Key messages

 

About key messages

Key messages provide a descriptive index to studies we have found that test this intervention.

Studies are not directly comparable or of equal value. When making decisions based on this evidence, you should consider factors such as study size, study design, reported metrics and relevance of the study to your situation, rather than simply counting the number of studies that support a particular interpretation.

Supporting evidence from individual studies

  1. A replicated, controlled study in Tasmania, Australia in 1995 (Hodson et al., 2000) found that fouling organisms were less abundant and they could be more easily removed from silicon coated nets compared to untreated nets. After 163 days of immersion, there was less fouling on the white silicon coated nets (1.9 kg/m2) compared to uncoated white (7.8 kg/ m2) and black (8.5 kg/ m2) nets. Fouling organisms were also removed more easily from silicon nets compared to untreated nets; 15.3% of the fouling was removed from the silicone coated nets, but only 3.0% and 3.6% was removed from the white and black nets respectively. Three netting types were immersed adjacent to a cage of a salmon farm; a white silicon coated net (coated with Veridian 2000), uncoated white netting and uncoated black netting. Panels were placed on the nets to allow removal without disturbing the integrity of the net structure. After 140 days of immersion, nine panels (three replicates per net type) were removed to quantify ease of fouling removal and fouling composition. Panels were cleaned with a water jet held 30 cm away for 10 seconds to quantify ease of removal of fouling organisms.

    Study and other actions tested
  2. Two replicated, controlled experiments in a laboratory and at a fish farm in Norway in 2010 (Guenther et al., 2011) found that a temperature of at least 50oC was effective in preventing the settlement and survival of juvenile hydroids under laboratory conditions. Lab experiments resulted in 100% mortality of juveniles when exposed to 50oC or 60oC. When exposed to 50oC for one or three seconds, low survival rates of adults were observed (12% and 4% respectively) and at 60oC, 100% mortality was observed.  Laboratory experiments with 0.2% acetic acid and an immersion time of one minute reduced the survival of juvenile and adult hydroids to between 0 and 35%. There was 100% mortality for juveniles and adults for the five minute immersion. All short term immersion in the 2.0% concentration acetic acid reduced the average settlement of actinulae, and survival of juvenile and adult hydroids to less than 10%. In the field experiments, mean wet weights of biofouling organisms of the heat treatments were significantly lower than the control group. The wet weights of biofouling organisms between the acetic acid treatments were similar. In the laboratory heat experiments, treatment groups were immersed in sand filtered seawater at temperatures of 12 (control), 30, 40, 50 and 60oC for immersion times of 1 and 3 s. In the acetic acid experiments, treatment groups were immersed in acetic acid solutions at concentrations of 0% (control), 0.2% and 2.0% for 1, 3 and 10 seconds, 1 and 5 min. For the fieldwork experiments, net panels were attached to two PVC frames (565 net panels each) and deployed at 2 m depth on the outside of a cage in a fish farm. The net panels were treated with water temperatures of 50 and 60oC and immersion times of 1 and 3 seconds; and an acetic acid concentration of 0.2% with immersion times of 1 and 5 min and a concentration of 2.0% and immersion times of 1 and 3 s. The wet weights (g) and photographs of the net panels with biofouling were taken just before treatment, and two and five days after treatment.

    Study and other actions tested
Please cite as:

Jones, A.C., Mead, A., Austen, M.C.V.  & Kaiser, M.J. (2013) Aquaculture: Evidence for the effects of interventions to enhance the sustainability of aquaculture using Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) as a case study. Bangor University

 

Where has this evidence come from?

List of journals searched by synopsis

All the journals searched for all synopses

Sustainable Aquaculture

This Action forms part of the Action Synopsis:

Sustainable Aquaculture
Sustainable Aquaculture

Sustainable Aquaculture - Published 2013

Atlantic salmon Aquaculture Synopsis

What Works 2021 cover

What Works in Conservation

What Works in Conservation provides expert assessments of the effectiveness of actions, based on summarised evidence, in synopses. Subjects covered so far include amphibians, birds, mammals, forests, peatland and control of freshwater invasive species. More are in progress.

More about What Works in Conservation

Download free PDF or purchase
The Conservation Evidence Journal

The Conservation Evidence Journal

An online, free to publish in, open-access journal publishing results from research and projects that test the effectiveness of conservation actions.

Read the latest volume: Volume 21

Go to the CE Journal

Discover more on our blog

Our blog contains the latest news and updates from the Conservation Evidence team, the Conservation Evidence Journal, and our global partners in evidence-based conservation.


Who uses Conservation Evidence?

Meet some of the evidence champions

Endangered Landscape ProgrammeRed List Champion - Arc Kent Wildlife Trust The Rufford Foundation Save the Frogs - Ghana Mauritian Wildlife Supporting Conservation Leaders
Sustainability Dashboard National Biodiversity Network Frog Life The international journey of Conservation - Oryx Cool Farm Alliance UNEP AWFA Bat Conservation InternationalPeople trust for endangered species Vincet Wildlife Trust