Sensor-Based Water Quality and Habitat Monitoring for Sustainable Aquatic Animal Environments

Abstract

The intricate management of aquatic animal production systems must be sustainable to ensure permanent and precise evaluation of water quality and habitat environmental conditions that determine the health and welfare of animals in addition to the overall performances of the environment. The present paper examined whether a sensor-based monitoring system can be beneficial in monitoring essential physicochemical and ecological parameters in freshwater aquaculture ponds. Dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, turbidity, chlorophyll-a, and ammonia and nitrate concentration were also measured at various pond depths under seasonal production cycles and also compared with fish health parameters, growth performance, and survival rates. Factors associated with habitat, such as the stability of water depth, dynamics of plankton communities, and the quality of sediments were also studied at the same time to measure more extensive ecosystem operations. The outcomes showed moderate correlations between short term change of dissolved oxygen and ammonia on disturbed feeding behaviour, elevated physiological stress, and high mortality. The accumulation of nutrients seasonally caused the high turbidity and changes in plankton constructions, which also caused changes in growth pattern and feed usage. Sensors based monitoring management interventions (e.g. optimised aeration scheduling, water exchange, and feed adjustment improvement) led to significant improvements in water quality maintenance, fish growth rates, and less nutrient-enriching effluent released. Generally, the paper has shown that less sophisticated, non-network sensor monitoring systems can play a significant role in enhancing water quality management, ensuring the welfare of aquatic animals and facilitating the role of environmentally friendly pond-based aquaculture.