Abstract:The effects of net mesh size and water depth on the seasonal succession and vertical distribution of fouling organisms were investigated, from June to September, 2007, in a scallop Chlamys farrier raft culture area in Liuqing River estuary, Qingdao, China. Four nets with mesh size of 50.42, 44.40, 22.36, and 12.92 mm were suspended on the raft at five depth (1.3, 2.9, 4.5, 6.1, and 7.7 m), and experimental nets were sampled monthly. The dominant fouling species were Gammaridae and skeleton shrimp in June, and blue mussel Mytilus gallolprovincialis from July to September. The ascidians which were usually the dominant species of fouling communities were rare in the sampling area. The biomass of fouling organisms generally decreased with the increasing water depth. The specific growth rate (SGR) of the fouling biomass was the highest in August, which amounted to 8.77 %/d. The SGR was lowered in September, mainly due to the decreased growth rate of blue mussel. The higher fouling biomass in Liuqing River estuary during summer was mainly due to the blue mussel, the dominant species in the fouling community.
