Abstract
The aquaculture and environmental interactions are exposed. In this context, the work focused
on the study of the three compartments of the ecosystem, that is: sediment, biota and
seawater.
The sediments act as a reservoir and provide the pollution history. Therefore, a study is
conducted in this way. The contamination by trace elements (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb and Fe) in the
surface sediments of Azeffoun fish farm in the North-Central of Algeria was evaluated using
a multivariate approach. In addition, a second study is being conducted to assess the trace
element contamination of the edible part of wild and farmed sea bream (Sparus aurata) as
well as the human health risks through the consumption of this species. In addition,
efflorescence phenomena involving the genus Ostreopsis were observed in an aquaculture
farm in north-west Algeria, and the environmental parameters responsible for this
proliferation were identified.
Our results indicated that the Algerian mariculture industry in floating cages is a minor
contributor to heavy metal pollution in the local aquatic environment. The consumption of S.
aurata may be considered safe for public health but the cancer risk for arsenic via the
consumption of sea bream farmed in floating cages should be considered. Mariculture
effluents could enhance the proliferation of Ostreopsis sp. Therefore, it is inevitable that
mariculture farming mitigate to more environmentally friendly practices depends on the local
context and market demand.
Keywords:
Mariculture; Environment; Trace elements; Sparus aurata; Sediment; Ostreopsis sp;
IMTA; Human health risk; Algeria; Mediterranean sea.