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Characteristics of faecal and dissolved nitrogen production from tropical spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus

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Abstract

Spiny lobster aquaculture in sea-cages produces both particulate (faeces and waste feed) and soluble wastes [dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN)] that have the potential to degrade the environment. To begin to understand the environmental impacts of tropical spiny lobster aquaculture, the waste products of these lobsters were quantified, including the settling velocity of faecal material and DIN output from lobsters of a range of sizes and fed two dietary treatments (seafood and artificial diet), as well as determining the nitrogen leaching from faeces and diets for lobsters. The mean faeces settling velocity of lobsters fed with seafood was significantly higher than those from lobsters fed with artificial diet (0.30 ± 0.01 and 0.22 ± 0.01 cm s−1, respectively, mean ± SE), but the settling velocity of faeces did not differ among the lobsters of different sizes for each diet. The settling velocity of faecal material showed a positive relationship with faeces weight, volume and density but not length. Both carbon and nitrogen content in faeces showed no significant differences between the two diets. Feeding activity doubled the DIN output from lobsters consistently for both dietary treatments compared with unfed lobsters. Nutrient leaching from samples of faeces and diet was highly variable and did not differ among lobsters of different sizes or between the two dietary treatments. Overall, while faecal material, waste feed, as well as DIN excretion by lobsters in aquaculture operations could potentially negatively impact the environment, their faeces settling velocity and DIN output is markedly lower than fin-fish. Thus, the environmental impact from lobster aquaculture is unlikely to be as intensive as for fin-fish aquaculture.

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Abbreviations

TAN:

Total ammonical nitrogen

DIN:

Dissolved inorganic nitrogen

FCR:

Feed conversion ratio

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Acknowledgments

The research was conducted in a manner that was consistent with protocols approved under University of Auckland Animal Ethics Committee approval number R929. Much appreciation to both Matthew Johnston and Andrea Denim for technical support. The authors would also like to thank Universiti of Sains Malaysia for providing assistance with the elemental analysis of faecal material.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leigh Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, P.O. Box 349, Warkworth, New Zealand

    Soxi Lee & Andrew Jeffs

  2. No. 28, Taman Manikar, Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia

    Neil D. Hartstein

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  1. Soxi Lee
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  2. Neil D. Hartstein
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  3. Andrew Jeffs
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Correspondence to Soxi Lee.

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Lee, S., Hartstein, N.D. & Jeffs, A. Characteristics of faecal and dissolved nitrogen production from tropical spiny lobster, Panulirus ornatus . Aquacult Int 23, 1411–1425 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-015-9893-8

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