Review on site selection and carrying capacities for aquaculture
Siri Elie Dybdal
This new publication in the FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings series is a landmark document based upon the work of a FAO-sponsored Expert Workshop on Site Selection and Carrying Capacities for Inland and Coastal Aquaculture which was held at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, in December 2010.
The workshop was attended by 20 internationally recognized experts, including two staff members of FAO, and covered a number of relevant core topics and represented aquaculture in different regions of the world. Expertise within the group included the academic, regulatory and consultative sectors of the industry, giving a wide perspective of views on the core topics.
A series of global reviews and regional reviews on site selection and carrying capacity encompass inland aquaculture and coastal aquaculture as well as providing detailed definitions of carrying capacity appropriate for different types of aquaculture based upon four categories: physical, production, ecological and social.
The range and capability of modelling tools, including spatial tools, available for addressing these capacities is covered as well as the prioritization and sequence for addressing site selection and the different categories of carrying capacity in terms of both regional or national priorities and site-specific considerations. From these proceedings, it is intended to produce a set of guidelines for addressing site selection and carrying capacity in the context of the framework of the ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA).
Presentations at the Stirling workshop demonstrated how different categories of carrying capacity may be used either in isolation or in combination to address site selection and sustainability of aquaculture.
Participants agreed that estimation of carrying capacity for aquaculture development almost always requires a multifaceted approach, which is covered by at least four categories – physical, production, ecological and social. Physical carrying capacity is best considered as a primary and broader site selection criterion.
Other recommendations included hat participatory consultation with a full stakeholder range was essential and that such consultation should include consideration of acceptable change.
As a practical first step, development of a set of guidelines was recommended to illustrate the approach and uses of modelling to address carrying capacity, particularly in relation to the EAA, and using a selection of case studies from different regions, environments, species and culture systems.
