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To study the possible environmental impact of hydraulic cockle-dredging on macrobenthic communities and the environment, a fishing experiment was executed on a tidal mudflat in the Oosterschelde (SW Netherlands) according to a BACI (before-after-control-impact) design. Following the characterization of the initial situation, a part of the mudflat was commercially fished, after which dredged and undredged areas were compared on the basis of macrofauna descriptors and sediment constitution approximately 2 months (short term) and 1 year (mid-long term) after fishing. Whereas a clear reduction of the larger Cerastoderma edule cockles (>23 mm) in the fished areas was found, no effect of dredging on total macrofauna densities or median grain size was observed. No negative effect of fishing on total macrofauna biomass was found; in contrast, an increase of the biomass of the non-target species almost compensated for the loss in weight due to the extraction of the larger cockles. No significant effect of dredging on species diversity, richness or evenness was found in the short or mid-long term, these descriptors tending to have increased rather than decreased in the dredged plots after 1 year. The selective fishing for larger cockles reduced the average cockle size, but 1 year after fishing the average size had returned to the initial values in the dredged area. However, compared to the control area, the average size might still be reduced, as the size of the cockles in the control area also increased during the year. Local environmental conditions, with their specific macrobenthic communities, seem to be crucial for the type of effects and the impact of dredging. It is therefore of eminent importance to follow a research design with pre-defined environmental conditions, rather than a comparison of different areas that are open or closed to fisheries. The present study based on a BACI approach indicates that mechanical cockle fisheries had no overall negative impact in our study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SummaryMarine aquaculture in The Netherlands consists of extensive culture of mussels (Mytilus edulis) and oysters (Crassostrea gigas and Ostrea edulis), predominantly carried out on the bottom on leased grounds. These grounds are located in the Wadden Sea and in the Dutch delta area. Quality of shellfish growing areas, and the handling and processing are carried out according to EU standards and controlled by the Dutch authorities. Stock assessment prior to the mussel spat collection in spring and autumn from wild stocks is carried out to estimate the availability of mussels for relaying but also in relation to feed requirements for protected bird populations. In years of scarcity, intertidal areas are closed to harvesting in addition to other, permanently closed areas. Oyster spat collection is carried out by seeding out mussel shells as spat collectors prior to spatfall. The management of shellfish stocks is regulated on the basis of overall fishery policy, laid down in a policy document since 1993, and carried out jointly by governmental institutions and producers' organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Predation by adult bivalves on bivalve larvae has been suggested to reduce larval abundance in areas with high bivalve filter-feeder biomass. Although the occurrence of larviphagy is well-studied in the laboratory, its effects in the field have scarcely been studied. We studied larviphagy at different spatial scales in the Oosterschelde estuary. On the scale of individuals, we confirmed that larviphagy occurs in Crassostrea gigas and Mytilus edulis in the Oosterschelde estuary, by examining stomach contents of adult bivalves. On a local scale, we studied effects of larviphagy by a Pacific oyster (C. gigas) bed on presence of larvae in the overlying water column by sampling larvae with fixed plankton nets. Abundance of blue mussel (M. edulis) larvae was significantly reduced by the oyster. Abundance of C. gigas larvae did not seem to be reduced by the oyster bed, but spawning by the adult oysters during the sampling period may have affected the results. On estuary-scale, the effect of larviphagy on larval abundance of C. gigas and M. edulis was studied using existing monitoring data over 6 years for M. edulis and 13 years for C. gigas. Numbers of M. edulis larvae showed no significant trend over the 6 years studied. Abundance of C. gigas larvae declined with an increasing filter feeder stock (that was mainly caused by an increase in C. gigas stock). This decline may be due to direct effects of larviphagy or indirect effects such as lowered food levels, and was not compensated by an increased larval production. All results combined, complemented with a theoretical estimate of the effect of larviphagy on estuary-scale, strongly suggest that larviphagy is major source of mortality for bivalve larvae in the Oosterschelde estuary. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

1. Mussels were exposed in the Dutch coastal zone and the Western Scheldt estuary. After six weeks of exposure, trace metals, PCBs and PAHs were measured in the soft tissue. 2. Tissue concentrations of contaminants are high in the Western Scheldt and intermediate near the Rhine outflow, except for the lower PCB congeners. 3. Results show that the survival in air is significantly lower at higher tissue concentrations, in particular of the lower PCB congeners. 4. The clearance rate is reduced at the highest tissue concentrations.