Open AccessBeneficial Use of Thermal Effluent in Lobster Culture 1
Author(s) -
Ford Richard F.,
Olst Jon C.,
Carlberg James M.,
Dorband Wayne R.,
Johnson Richard L.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
proceedings of the annual meeting ‐ world mariculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0164-0399
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-7345.1975.tb00044.x
Subject(s) - effluent , seawater , salinity , water quality , american lobster , environmental science , homarus , environmental chemistry , oceanography , ecology , fishery , environmental engineering , chemistry , biology , crustacean , geology
Comparative water quality analyses and rearing experiments were conducted to assess benefits and problems in using thermal effluent to culture the American lobster (Homarus americanus) from the egg to market size. Most of this research was conducted in a special laboratory developed in cooperation with the San Diego Gas & Electric Co. at the Encina Power Plant in Carlsbad, California. Separate studies supported by the Southern California Edison Co. were recently initiated at their Redondo Beach, California, generating station, in a similar laboratory supplied with both thermal effluent and ocean quality seawater. Parallel experiments are being conducted at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in electrically heated and ocean temperature water. Salinity, dissolved oxygen, pH, and concentrations of the heavy metals Cu, Zn, Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, and As were essentially the same in thermal effluent from the Encina Power Plant as in ocean water from the outer Agua Hedionda Lagoon and Scripps. Sensitive H. americanus larvae employed to test effluent water quality were cultured individually and in mass rearing systems at constant temperatures of 18.5 and 21.6 C. Larvae reared to Stage IV in Encina effluent and in water from the two ocean sources did not differ significantly in survival or size attained. Similar results were obtained for larvae and juveniles reared to Stage VIII over a 3–month period at 22.1 C. These results suggest that chemical toxicity may not be a problem in using thermal effluent from the Encina Power Plant. In other tests, juveniles were cultured individually and in mass rearing systems in effluent at varying temperatures (X=22 C) and in lagoon water at ambient temperature (X=19 C). The juveniles reared individually in effluent for 10 months had significantly higher survival and were 11.6% larger than those in lagoon water. Juveniles cultured in mass rearing systems for 6 months were 15.5% larger than those in lagoon water. These preliminary results indicate that thermal effluent may provide a useful and economical source of warm water for lobster culture.