Integrating environmental and ecological monitoring with seaweed farming

We explore the biodiversity impacts of seaweed and shellfish farms in Pembrokeshire, UK, with a focus on using monitoring methods that are affordable and can be integrated into existing seaweed farming operations. Monitoring methods used include Baited Remote Underwater Video Systems (BRUVs), Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) and visual surveys of cultivation lines and natural settlement on farm infrastructure. BRUVs detected 13 motile fauna taxa, influenced mainly by site conditions, while PAM observed distinct patterns in dolphin and porpoise activity that changes between seasons. Visual surveys revealed colonisation of algal, hydroid, and bryozoan species on both the surface and seabed infrastructure, indicating that the farming structures serve as stable substrates for biodiversity accumulation. Apart from the natural settlement on infrastructure, our data does not show a conclusive link between biodiversity and farming due to the highly dynamic environment, small scale of operations, and relatively short monitoring timeframe. Despite these limitations, the data sets a crucial baseline for future studies and showed no negative impacts even as farming activities intensified over the monitoring period. The study aligns with what's feasible for time-constrained farm operators and forms a foundation for routine, integrated environmental and biodiversity monitoring.