International Journal of Aquaculture, 2016, Vol.6, No.19, 1
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for Japanese scallop (Mizuhopecten yessoensis) aquaculture in Funka Bay, southwestern Hokkaido, Japan
(Radiarta et al., 2008), urban aquaculture development in Bangladesh (Hossain et al., 2009), GIS-based
multi-criteria evaluation to land suitability modelling for giant prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) farming in
Companigonj Upazila of Noakhali, Bangladesh (Hossain and Das, 2011), assessing suitable carp-farming areas
(Salam et al., 2005; Hossain et al., 2009) and Site selection for shellfish aquaculture (Silva et al., 2011). Others
include, Liu et al., 2014 (Spatiotemporal variations in suitable areas for Japanese scallop aquaculture in the Dalian
coastal area from 2003 to 2012) and Wijenayake et al., 2016 (Application of a multiple-criteria decision making
approach for selecting non-perennial reservoirs for culture-based fishery development: Case study from Sri
Lanka).
Conducting aquaculture in optimal areas will greatly reduce the risk of environmental impacts, promote overall
profit, and minimize conflicts between aquaculture and other resources (Stead et al., 2002; Radiarta et al., 2008).
With this idea in mind coupled with, the annual production of Dalian scallop aquaculture which accounted for
about 90% of the total national production in 2005 (Liu et al., 2010), Liu et al., (2014) conducted a research to
assess the various factors, such as environmental variables, human activities, and climate change, in order to
comprehensively determine appropriate sites for the aquaculture of Japanese scallops. Dalian coastal area was the
study area and data available from 2003 to 2012 were used. The authors divided the study area into four marine
zones namely; Zone I consisting of coastal water of Zhuanghe (ZH) and Pulandian (PLD), relatively close to the
mainland. Zone II comprises Changhai County, which includes Changshandao (CSD), Haiyangxiang (HYX),
Zhangzhidao (ZZD), and Guangluxiang (GLX). Zone III was located in the Northern Yellow Sea and includes
Jinzhou (JZYS), the main city (MCYS), and Lushunkou (LSKYS) whiles Zone IV is located along the coast of the
Bohai Sea and includes Lushunkou (LSKBS), the main city (MCBS), Jinzhou (JZBS), and Wafangdian (WFD).
The study revealed that the Zone II and Zone II were much suitable for the development of Japanese scallop
aquaculture. From the study, it was evident that was much more sensitive to changes in environmental factors (e.g.,
sea surface temperature, chlorophyll-a, and suspended sediment) and climate changes, whiles the correlations
among these factors were not significant in Zone II. The author inferred from the results summarized above that
adaptation to these changes should be considered when developing plans and management strategies for scallop
aquaculture.
In another case study, Hossain and Das (2010) also conducted a study to identify appropriate site for the farming
of giant prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, in Copanigonj of Noakhali, Bangladesh using GIS-based
multi-criteria evaluation taking 20 base layers of water quality, soil characteristics and infrastructure facilities. In
order to develop a series of GIS models and subsequently prioritize the most suitable area for prawn farming, the
authors used ENVI and ArcView to analyze ASTER images and thematic layers. The results indicated that 52% of
the study area representing 11,999 ha, 45% representing 10,219 ha and 3% representing an area of 981 ha were
rated as most suitable, suitable and not suitable respectively. They therefore recommended that the compactness of
vast flood-free derelict lands with suitable water and soil quality as well as infrastructure facilities would be an
appropriate option for prawn farming to diversify the economic activities of local communities.
Remote-sensing–derived products have found an increased relevance in site selection for aquaculture production.
Radiarta et al. (2008) conducted a study to identify the most suitable sites for hanging culture of Japanese scallop
using geographic information system (GIS)-based multi-criteria evaluation models. The authors in this study
extracted most parameters using remote sensing data (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS),
Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro radiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS).
Factors such as sea temperature, chlorophyll, suspended sediment, bathymetry, and distance to town, pier and
land-based facilities are essential for consideration in selecting a site for scallop aquaculture. These factors were
grouped into two by the authors; group A, being biophysical factors (sea temperature, chlorophyll, suspended
sediment and bathymetry) and group B, being social–infrastructural (distance to town, pier and land-based
facilities). Similar to other studies, the authors developed a series of GIS models to identify the most suitable areas
