Site selection and carrying capacity in Mediterranean ... - FAO Sipam

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The latest report of the European Science Foundation’s (ESF 8 ) Marine Board ‘Impact of climate
change on European marine and coastal environment - Ecosystem approach’ (2007) shows how even
moderate climate scenarios have caused marked consequences on the European marine environment.
After considering all the recorded impacts on European Seas, the ESF-Marine working group
identified other possible future challenges in terms of climate change monitoring, modelling,
indicators and research and development. Predicting the consequences of climate change for our
marine environment related to aquaculture activities will require the development and measurement of
several parameters, with improvement of regional climate models and the development of biophysical
models.
Higher temperatures may stress organisms, increasing their susceptibility to disease (Kimet al. 2000),
but an increase in susceptibility will depend on the relative sensitivity of hosts and parasites to
temperature. Other indirect process, such as the proliferation of jelly fish (Purcell et al., 2007),
increase of parasitism (Marcogliese, 2001) or harmful algae blooms (Peperzak, 2003) can be
influenced by aquaculture and affect aquaculture itself.
5.5. Economical and sociological consideration for site selection
The success of an aquaculture project depends to a large extent on the proper selection of the site to be
developed into a fish farm or hatchery, and this is a multifactorial decision. For site selection,
additional to the environmental factors described above, others affecting the efficiency and economy
of the operations are also crucial. The producer should consider beforehand the marketability of the
product, after an evaluation of existing and potential markets and the stability of these markets. Once
a market has been identified, a suitable site for production must be identified. Haphazard development
of aquaculture without adequate planning and regulation can result in the production of conflicts
because of environmental impact, lack of economical feasibility or the social conflicts.
It is important to consider the relative novelty of an aquaculture project and its magnitude in a given
area. Aquaculture is practised at different levels, form small homestead pond faming to verticallyintegrated
farms owned by multinational corporations, and it is traditional practice in some parts of
the world and an innovation in other areas (Pillay, 1990). Depending on this, an aquaculture activity
can produce a positive or negative impact. In addition to the economical changes in the area,
developing aquaculture in new location can produce important social changes, as has happened in
Chile after the development of salmon aquaculture.
Competition with other users of coastal space will be a strong force in shaping the development of
aquaculture in many areas (Staresinic & Popović 2004). Unless grow-out systems are developed that
reduce negative interactions with other coastal users, growth in sea-based fish farming could stagnate
(Dempster and Sanchez Jerez, 2008). For example, the increasing number of tourists visiting the
Mediterranean coastline will amplify the current high level of pressure being exerted on many fish
farms in the region to reduce their visual presence close to the coast by either shifting offshore or
submerging. In some areas, a shift towards localising farms in more high-energy coastal sites is
already underway, largely to provide better culture conditions for the fish and partly in response to
environmental concerns and coastal use conflict.
8 http://www.esf.org
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