Suitable site selection of shrimp farming using Multi-criteria evaluation approach (Case study: Southern coast of Bushehr)

Site selection is a key factor in any aquaculture operation which makes land use sustainable. This study was conducted to identify the appropriate sites for development of shrimp culture in the southern cost of Bushehr Province using geographical information systems (GIS) and Multi Criteria Evaluation (MCE) by creating a database of information layers, criterias and effective alternatives including pond construction (slope, elevation, land use types and soil thickness), soil quality (type, texture and pH of soil), sea water availability (distance to sea and type of water source), and social and economic infrastructure (population density and distance to roads, local markets, and hatcheries) were obtained from the Landsat 8 satellite images and processed in GIS environment. The constraint layer was excluded from the areas that were not allowed to implement shrimp farming. An Analytical hierarchy model was developed to identify and prioritize the most suitable areas for shrimp farming. The Landsat images and 13 thematic layers were analyzed using ENVI and GIS. By consolidating and overlaying the data layers, the final map of the appropriate places for shrimp farming was prepared and classified the area of study in four various zones (most suitable, suitable, moderately suitable and not suitable). The study revealed that 18781 ha (16%) was categorized in the most suitable group, 46899 ha (40%) was suitable, 47784 ha (40.7%) was moderately suitable and 3818 ha (3.3%) was not suitable. These results were consistent with field verification. The map accuracy was evaluated by the method of Relative Operating Characteristic (ROC). The result of ROC (0.749) indicated the validity of the presented model. The results of the present study can help to develope shrimp farms and increase diversity of the economic activities in the coastal zone.