Acute effects of angler’s groundbaits: nutrient flux to water column

Although ground-baiting related nutrient loading has been widely studied, we do not know what proportion of these nutrients release into the water column, affecting primary production directly. We conducted short-term (24-h, 5-day) experiments at wide temperature range, in presence and absence of fish using fish meal-based (FM-GB) and plant-based groundbait (PB-GB), to assess the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fluxes from GB into the water column. Nitrogen release from unconsumed FM-GB was negligible in the first 3 days, then increased abruptly, releasing 32% of its total N content by the fifth day. In contrast, PB-GB acted as temporary sink for inorganic N forms. Considerable (18–21%) inorganic P release was observed in both GB types in the first twelve hours. Consumed GBs induced considerable inorganic N release and its rate increased with temperature. Particulate forms predominated the released N in PB-GB, suggesting impaired digestion. Phosphorus—dominated by particulate forms—release was similar or lower than in unconsumed GB. Based on our results, excessive use of GB—when high amount of it remains unconsumed—can enhance eutrophication in P-limited ecosystems. Although less digestible GBs may have less abrupt effect on the primary production, undigested nutrients remain unavailable for removal through fish harvest.