Influence of Trout Cage Culture On Water Quality, Plankton And Benthos Anatolian Dam Lake

Abstract

The effects of rainbow trout cage culture on water quality, phytoplankton, zooplankton and ben- thos were investigated in a cage farm of 30 ton capacity in Kesikköprü dam lake. Water tempera- ture did not differ among stations while dissolved oxygen and pH values were slightly lower in the station with cages. Significant and insignificant increases were detected in concentrations of ammonia, nitrate, orthophosphate and chlorophyll a in the cage station. Also, the abundance of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthos was highest in the cage station. The composition of phy- toplankton was not fundamentally different among stations except for a higher abundance of Chlorophyceae and Cyanophyceae species in the cage station in November. The composition of zooplankton and benthos did not differ among stations; rotifers and gastropods were dominant, respectively.