Site selection and carrying capacities for inland and coastal aquaculture: FAO/Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Expert Workshop, 6–8 December 2010, Stirling, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Citation

Ross L, Telfer T, Falconer L, Soto D & Aguilar-Manjarrez J (eds.) (2013) Site selection and carrying capacities for inland and coastal aquaculture: FAO/Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Expert Workshop, 6–8 December 2010, Stirling, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Proceedings, 21. FAO/Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Expert Workshop, Stirling, Scotland, 06.12.2010-08.12.2010. Rome, Italy: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Abstract
An FAO-sponsored Expert Workshop on Site Selection and Carrying Capacities for Inland and Coastal Aquaculture was held at the Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, 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. Seven global reviews and ten regional reviews on site selection and carrying capacity encompassing inland aquaculture and coastal aquaculture were presented and discussed at the workshop. Supplementary inputs were provided by the experts who were unable to attend the workshop for the reviews on "Environmental Impact, Site Selection and Carrying Capacity Estimation for Small-scale Aquaculture in Asia" and "Guidelines for Aquaculture Site Selection and Carrying Capacity for Inland and Coastal Aquaculture in Mid- and Northern Europe". Definitions of carrying capacity appropriate for different types of aquaculture were discussed and agreed based upon four categories: physical, production, ecological and social. The range and capability of modelling tools, including spatial tools, available for addressing these capacities were discussed. The prioritization and sequence for addressing site selection and the different categories of carrying capacity were considered in detail in terms of both regional or national priorities and site-specific considerations. Two major outcomes have been developed from the workshop: (i) a comprehensive record of the workshop proceedings (this document), which includes global and regional reviews and a summary of major findings and recommendations; and (ii) a set of guidelines for addressing site selection and carrying capacity in the context of the framework of the ecosystem approach to aquaculture (EAA), including summaries of the key findings and recommendations for aquaculture site selection and carrying capacity with an EAA perspective. Recommendations were made for promotion of these concepts and approaches by FAO. This publication is organized in two parts. One part contains the workshop report and the first global review entitled "Carrying capacities and site selection within the ecosystem approach to aquaculture", while the second part is the full document. The latter part is available on a CD-ROM accompanying the printed part of this publication.