Wouter Visch

University of Tasmania · Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS)

Kelp aquaculture is typically a two-stage process, with an indoor nursery phase and a grow-out phase at sea. For the successful development and implementation of commercial kelp aquaculture, production of viable seeded lines in the nursery is essential. This study investigated optimal nursery conditions of three kelp species native to Tasmania, Aus...

Tasmania is an island state in south-eastern Australia that has a long and rich history of seaweed use, research, and development. It is a cool-temperate system with 750 macroalgal species currently described. Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples have lived on this land for at least 40,000 years utilising seaweed as food, shelter, water carriers and medici...

Global seaweed aquaculture production has more than tripled since 2002 and is dominated by Asian countries with farming operations that typically occur in relatively wave-protected, nearshore areas. To meet future demand, production must move to "non-traditional" regions and into less contested waters offshore. However, the technological complexiti...

The cultivation of kelp typically involves two stages, where an indoor hatchery phase preceedes the grow-out phase at-sea. The in situ adhesion of microscopic propagules onto specifically designed substrates using binders has been proposed as an alternative to conventional hatchery methods where juvenile seaweeds are cultured on seeded twine, aimed...

Kelp aquaculture is an emerging industry outside of Asia. To be successful, this industry requires a reliable production of seedstock, the optimisation of which greatly benefits from a detailed physiological understanding of the microscopic life-cycle stages of the cultured species. This study investigated the impact of six zoospore densities (10–2...

The biodiversity benefits of kelp aquaculture and afforestation are increasingly acclaimed as the industry continues to grow and develop globally, however, whether farmed kelp can provide this ecosystem service remains unclear. Using peer-reviewed literature, we evaluated whether kelp farms provide biodiversity benefits, and identified only 23 stud...

The cultivation of kelp typically involves two stages, where an indoor hatchery phase proceeds the grow-out phase at-sea. The in situ adhesion of microscopic propagules onto specifically designed substrates using binders has been proposed as an alternative to conventional hatchery methods where juvenile seaweeds are cultured on seeded twine, aimed...

Seaweed cultivation is gaining interest world-wide for both food and non-food applications. Global seaweed aquaculture production currently exceeds 32 Mt WW per annum but is dominated (86% of total) by Asian countries. To meet future demand for seaweed products, regions beyond Asia with aquaculture production potential are being explored. The goal...

Marine eutrophication is a pervasive and growing threat to global sustainability. Macroalgal cultivation is a promising circular economy solution to achieve nutrient reduction and food security. However, the location of production hotspots is not well known. In this paper the production potential of macroalgae of high commercial value was predicted...

Exploitation of aquatic resources, especially fishing, was a fundamental part of human subsistence during the Late Mesolithic Ertebølle culture (5400-4000/3900 cal BC) in Southern Scandinavia. In this pilot study we examine three cod otoliths from two Late Mesolithic locations in eastern Denmark to see whether local environmental conditions are ref...

Cultivation of extractive species, such as bivalves and seaweeds, provides opportunities for food production while removing excess nutrients in eutrophic coastal waters. However, to optimize these ecosystem services, selecting aquaculture sites that affect growth and nutrient uptake is important. In a transplant experiment we assessed spatial growt...

Seaweed aquaculture is receiving increasing attention for food and non-food applications in Europe, where it is still an emerging industry. The cultivation of seaweeds in the sea is attractive as it does not compete with agricultural crops for land and freshwater, whilst generating high yearly biomass yield. The selection of suitable cultivation si...

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of seaweed cultivation on the coastal environment. We analysed a multitude of environmental parameters using an asymmetrical before after control impact (BACI) design, comparing the seaweed farm (impact) with multiple unaffected locations (controls). The seaweed farm had a significant positive effect on...

Sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) is an economically important species, and natural populations provide diverse and productive habitats as well as important ecosystem services. For seaweed aquaculture to be successful in newly emerging industry in Europe and other Western countries, it will have to develop sustainable production management strategi...

Seaweed cultivation attracts growing interest and sustainability assessments from various perspectives are needed. The paper presents a holistic qualitative assessment of ecosystem services affected by seaweed cultivation on the Swedish west coast. Results suggest that supporting, regulating and provisioning services are mainly positively or non-af...

The nature and direction of coevolutionary interactions between species is expected to differentiate among distinct environments. Consequently, locally coevolved symbiotic traits would be well matched in similar environments, but mismatched elsewhere. In a classic mutualistic trade-off, rhizobia provide nitrogen (N) to legume host plants in return...

The authors regret that an error has appeared in the article entitled ‘‘Arm Adductor with arm Abduction in rotator cuff tear patients vs. healthy – Design of a new measuring instrument’’. In the processing of the EMG recordings, rEMG rest signal was not correctly subtracted from the rEMG tasks signals in the patient group (not the controls). Conseq...

The incidence of (a)symptomatic rotator cuff tears is high, but etiologic mechanisms are unclear and treatment outcomes vary. A practical tool providing objective outcome measures and insight into etiology and potential patient subgroups is desirable. Symptomatic cuff tears coincide with humerus cranialization. Adductor co-activation during active...