Pablo Sánchez Jerez Just Bayle Sempere Celia Ojeda Aitor Forcada Francisca Gimenez-Casalduero Carlo Valle Damian Fernandez-Jover Pablo Arechavala Jose.

Pablo Sánchez JerezJust Bayle SempereCelia OjedaAitor ForcadaFrancisca Gimenez-CasaldueroCarlo ValleDamian Fernandez-JoverPablo ArechavalaJose Zubcoff

Dept. Marine Science and Applied Biology

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

3 year project (2008-2011), funded by JACUMAR (Junta Nacional Asesora de Cultivos Marinos) belonging to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries,

Indicator selection, determination of standards, sampling programs design and protocols of methods and measurements for

environmental studies in marine aquaculture

Revision of Indicator of sustainable aquaculture for Spanish aquaculture.

Responsible: Dra. Nieves Gonzalez ICCM

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Revision of Indicator of sustainable aquaculture for Spanish aquaculture.

The objectives of the project are the next:

a)Identify the parameters and methodologies already use for the different spanish administrative regions (Comunidad Autónoma).

Revision of results from several national projects related with the subject (EIA 1997-1999, FBI 1998-2000, IPSIAM 2003-2005; “Protocolo para la gestión medioambiental de las instalaciones de acuicultura en jaulas” (1999 – 2007) AZTI).Review of environmental studies, monitoring programs and EIA develop during the last 20 years.Develop a data base with extracted data.

b)Develop a conceptual model cause-effect for selection of indicator, using the DPSIR approach.

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Revision of Indicator of sustainable aquaculture for Spanish aquaculture.

c) Select and compare the parameters, as well as methodology for obtaining the data from the field.

• To carry out a pilot study for comparing results at different spatial scales using different indicator.

• Validate the results for different oceanographic conditions.

d)Develop a protocol with a list of indicator and methodologies for the Programs of Environmental Assessment.

e)Build up a National Net for Environmental Monitoring of Aquaculture.

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

1. Statistical validation of parameters

•Case studies included had different sampling design, sampling intensity and spatial or temporal scales addressed.

•The answer of parameters to different intensity of production should statistically validate.

•To explore the possible relationship among each parameter and environmental conditions and aquaculture features several statistical approach can be used, from the more simple Pearson’s correlation coefficient to more complex as multiple regressions, asimetrical analysis of variance or GAM models.

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

1. Statistical validation of parameters

•GAM models.

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Statistical validation of parameters

•Mutivariant approach.

BEST routine included in PRIMER v6 software (Clarke and Gorley, 2006) can be used to select the subset of aquaculture features which best explains the answer of indicators.

Multiple regression analyses

to model the relationship between potential indicators and aquaculture features (and their quadratic and cubic terms to explore the possible nonlinear relationship), can be performed in the framework of generalized linear models (GLM) (McCullagh and Nelder, 1989; Chapman and Kramer, 1999).

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Statistical validation of parameters

Multiple linear regression model explaining abundance of escaped Dicentrarchus labrax in relation to environmental variables and distance to fish farms (Toledo et al, Hydrobiology in press).

Variables coefficient SE partial R2 T

Constant 0.239 0.047 5,131

(Small blocks)2 6.16x10-5 0.000 0.450 5,970

log(Distance) -0.165 0.038 -0.344 -4,337

N = 143; adjusted R2 = 0.293; F = 30,438; P < 0.001

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Statistical validation of parameters

Meta-analysis

defined as the quantitative analysis of data that originated from several independent studies) is other option to choose indicator from an extensive data set and provides major advantages over more traditional synthesis and reviews (Hedges and Olkin 1985; Gurevitch and Hedges 1993).

The underlying approach and objectives are to quantify emergent patterns by applying specific statistical procedures (Hughes et al. 2002).

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Statistical validation of parameters

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Statistical validation of parameters

Data mining

Other statistical procedure which can be used.

It is the process of discovery useful information patterns and trend often previously unknown from large quantities of existing data.

Classification is one of the most used data mining techniques in the social and medical sciences.

It has also had increasing applications in environmental modelling with the considerable accuracy and ease of interpretation (Zubcoff et al, 2006).

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

2. Validation and cooperation with stakeholders.

The main attribute of an ecological indicator is to combine numerous environmental factors in a single value,

It might be useful in terms of management and for making ecological concepts, compliant with the general public understanding.

It is important to develop participation processes were managers and even stakeholders could participate in the definition, selection and evaluation of aquaculture indicators.

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture

Validation and cooperation with stakeholders.

Trough a participation process applying the DPSIR methodology framework a list of parameters and criteria are defined.

The five criteria defined within the participation process are:

1)consistency (maintenance of low variability of response over time and space),

2) ease of understanding (how easy is the indicator understood by stakeholders),

3) relevance (importance for that to be assessed),

4) feasibility (how difficult is it to obtain and/or measure records for a given indicator considering cost-effective criteria)

5) sensitivity (susceptibility to detect changes that can be adverted by management actions).

Selection of sustainability indicators and standards for Spanish aquaculture