Aquaculture + Polyculture precedents for landscape design?

[TJ]

Hi everyone-

 

I’ve just joined Land 8 as a final yr landscape architecture student – 1st question- I am working on a rural intertidal landscape in Europe and would like to reintroduce shellfish farming into an area that includes coastal grazing marsh and mudflats in a tidal estuary. Any ideas, hints, precedent or links to help me get the creative veins pumping?

 

Thanks!

[Thomas J. Johnson]

A couple of things come to mind…

1. Grazing and wetlands do not mix. I helped gather field data, studying the effects of cattle grazing on a fen in Colorado and it was not pretty. They destroy soil structure, which invites invasive species that take over and throw the whole thing out of whack. They also stomp trails through the peat which creates rivulets and modifies the hydrology. It’s a real mess. My advice would be “get the grazing animals off of the wetland.” The specifics of your site’s vegetation / soils may allow for it but I’d take a serious look at the impacts it causes.

 

2. If you want to reintroduce shellfish farming you need to determine why it’s no longer in existence and start your project there… You can reintroduce all the shellfish you want but if the conditions are no longer supportive, then it’s futile. Are the grazing animals causing erosion which washes sediment into the shellfish habitat? Are the grazing animals defecating in the water, causing algae blooms, which starve the shellfish of oxygen? Are there other factors upstream causing the shellfish to die off (towns/farms/factories dumping toxins)? Or was it just a matter of over farming that depleted the resource? Figure out what caused them to go away if you want to bring them back.

 

That’s where I’d start… hope that helps…   

[Gabriel S. Metz]

Are you by chance working on the Lincolnshire Coastal Grazing Marshes project?  If you are, it sounds like a great ecotourism project, so many things going on.  If it is not this project, check it out for ideas.  I was just looking at that project a few days ago and a couple recent articles came to mind.  I am a NPR news junky and recently they have had a couple of programs involving shellfish production you may use as case studies (links below).  The first one is bringing back oyster production in the Chesapeake Bay (its a podcast well worth the listen).  The second is the oyster bed restoration project going on in New Orleans after the oil spill. 

The Journal of Applied Ecology would be a good resource for you especially Volume 37, Issue 5. It is an older Journal that talks about when the British Government came up with the ESA (closed program) scheme to provide incentives to farmer to retain grazing marshes and laid out management guide lines.  Also reverting adjacent aerable farm to pastoral grasslands.

Attached is a summary by the solent forum. http://www.solentforum.org

In recent years there has been tons of research completed.  You just have to define your scope and drudge through the information that matters to your project. I wouldn’t imagine you will have to dive into the pros and cons of cattle grazing and the effects it has on the N cycle or microbial biomass.  The position of the government programs is that grazing is good.

If you do a google search, try using google scholar as well for research information. 

If these link for some reason don’t work, just go to npr.org and search oyster.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=133173248

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129452345

http://www.npr.org/search/index.php?searchinput=OYSTER+

http://www.cumulus-consultants.co.uk/portfolio-programmes.html

 

Good Luck, hope this helps.

[TJ]

Thanks for the advice Thomas-

Yes I’m looking at ways to move away from cattle grazing in the wetlands and moving towards small scale aquaculture as a sustainable alternative for the rural community..the decline in shellfishing was due in part to competition elsewhere and the area becoming more regulated in terms of flora/fauna (although this has become impacted on from flood controls and overgrazing).  My initial thoughts are to remove the flood defences (as it will flood in the future anyway) and allow the rediscovery of the area as a wetland.  

 

Gabriel-

 

Thanks v much for the links- I will trawl through these with interest- I’m sure they’ll be a great help!  The location is further north on the Irish Sea side and also has much designation in terms of wildlife so yes, I’m trying to incorporate some responsible ‘eco-tourism’ into the scheme too.

 

Might come back if I need some more advice!

[Gabriel S. Metz]

TJ

I just remembered another project that may interest you, check out Kate Orff’s work and her firm Scape in New York.  She also teaches at Columbia.  Here is a link to her TED Talk given earlier this month.  Think you will find some aquaculture ideas near the end of the talk.

http://www.ted.com/talks/kate_orff_oysters_as_architecture.html

[Boilerplater]

I love that kind of stuff…using natural processes & organisms as part of larger environmental restoration schemes.  Thanks for posting!

[Trace One]

East Hampton on Long Island has been working at seeding oysters and scallops for years..Here’s a post, but there is a lot more info on that, and they are nice guys, I am sure they would be happy to talk to you about it.

.tp://www.town.east-hampton.ny.us/AquaReport07.cfm

[Author]

Posts