Editing Mariculture (section)

===Wastes from cage cultures===
Mariculture of [[finfish]] can require a significant amount of [[fishmeal]] or other high protein food sources.<ref name=jen /> Originally, a lot of fishmeal went to waste due to inefficient feeding regimes and poor digestibility of formulated feeds which resulted in poor [[feed conversion ratio]]s.<ref name=forrest>Forrest B, Keeley N, Gillespie P, Hopkins G, Knight B, Govier D. (2007). Review of the ecological effects of marine finfish aquaculture: final report. Prepared for Ministry of Fisheries. Cawthron Report No. 1285.</ref>

In cage culture, several different methods are used for feeding farmed fish – from simple hand feeding to sophisticated computer-controlled systems with automated food dispensers coupled with ''in situ'' uptake sensors that detect consumption rates.<ref name=black>{{Cite book| editor = Steele, John H.| editor2 = Thorpe, Steve A.| editor3 = Turekian, Karl K.| publisher = Academic Press| doi = 10.1006/rwos.2001.0487| chapter = Mariculture, Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts of| title = Encyclopedia of Ocean Sciences| pages = 1578–1584| year = 2001| last1 = Black| first1 = K. D.| isbn = 9780122274305| chapter-url-access = registration| chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofoc0000unse| url = https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofoc0000unse| url-access = registration}}</ref> In coastal fish farms, overfeeding primarily leads to increased disposition of detritus on the seafloor (potentially smothering seafloor dwelling invertebrates and altering the physical environment), while in hatcheries and land-based farms, excess food goes to waste and can potentially impact the surrounding catchment and local coastal environment.<ref name=jen /> This impact is usually highly local, and depends significantly on the settling velocity of waste feed and the current velocity (which varies both spatially and temporally) and depth.<ref name=jen /><ref name=black />