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Stable isotope analysis suggests nutrient connectivity between salmon and kelp within a commercial scale open coast integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system

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Abstract

This study explores nutrient connectivity between Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) within a commercial-scale integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system in Bantry Bay, Ireland. In this system the kelp farm is located next to a salmon farm that restarted production in mid-2023 following four years of no production. This allowed a comparison between baseline conditions at the same site during a kelp-only production season in 2023, prior to salmon farming, and a salmon-kelp production season in 2024. Fieldwork campaigns were conducted during each year to collect samples of kelp, water, and proxy nutrient sources (fish feed, faeces, particulates, seaweeds). Stable isotope analysis and a Bayesian mixing model were used to assess uptake of nutrient sources by the kelp. The δ15N values differed between the study period of each year, with consistently lower δ15N values observed during 2024. Mixing model estimates showed a pronounced shift after salmon farming commenced. Comparative growth data between years revealed increases in kelp blade length, width, wet weight, and tissue nitrogen content during 2024. The findings suggest nutrient transfer from salmon farming to the kelp, with stable isotope analysis serving as a complementary method to growth and water sampling for determining nutrient connectivity.

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Data availability

Krupandan, A. (2025). Data relating to publication: Stable isotope analysis suggests nutrient connectivity between salmon and kelp within a commercial scale open coast integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system (Version 1) [Data set]. Zenodo (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14718615).

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Acknowledgements

Thank you to Jeroen van der Vloegt & Luke Wilson from BMRS, and staff from MOWI Ireland for their help with sample collection.

Funding

This work was completed under the EATFISH project. EATFISH is a Marie Skłodowska–Curie Innovative Training Network funded by the EU (project number 956697).​​ This work also received funding from the National Environmental Research Council (NERC), under a NERC Studentship Support grant (number 2774.0424) for work done at the National Environmental Isotope Facility, Glasgow.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK

    Amalia Krupandan, Lynne Falconer & Trevor Telfer

  2. Bantry Marine Research Station Ltd., Gearhies, Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland

    Julie Maguire & Deirdre McElligott

  3. National Environmental Isotope Facility, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, Scottish Enterprise Technology Park, East Kilbride, G75 0QF, UK

    Rona A. R. McGill

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  1. Amalia Krupandan
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  2. Lynne Falconer
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  6. Trevor Telfer
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Contributions

A.K.: conceptualisation, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, writing-original draft, visualisation, project administration. L.F.: conceptualisation, writing-review and editing, supervision. J.M.: resources, writing-review and editing. D.M.: resources, writing-review and editing. R.M.: resources, data curation, writing-review and editing. T.C.T.: conceptualisation, writing-review and editing, supervision, funding acquisition.

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Krupandan, A., Falconer, L., Maguire, J. et al. Stable isotope analysis suggests nutrient connectivity between salmon and kelp within a commercial scale open coast integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system.
Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-45539-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-45539-5

Keywords

  • IMTA
  • Marine
  • Nitrogen
  • Nutrient transfer
  • Seaweed
  • Sustainability

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