Published Paper Details:

Brackish water aquaculture has emerged as one of the fast growing industries in the developing countries both for domestic consumption as well as for export. This industry not only generates foreign exchange to the country but also provides employment opportunities to the skilled and unskilled rural people. The present study identifies and quantifies appropriate sites for brackish water aquaculture development in coastal track of Karnataka using Remote Sensing, GPS and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). A color composite ETM+ image is used to identify the extent of brackish water and to find out suitable site for brackish water aquaculture. The remotely sensed data were complemented by secondary data digitized from a range of sources, including hard copy maps, to create a spatial database that included environmental and infrastructural data. A series of GIS models were developed in order to identify and priorities the most suitable areas for brackish water shrimp and mussel farming. Using qualitative and quantitative output from the models, the benefits of shrimp and mussel farming were compared, based on gross production, economic output and employment potential. Comparisons were made of brackish water shrimp and mussel culture with moderately saline-tolerant tilapia and prawn culture, freshwater carb culture and traditional rice production systems. Shrimp was identified as the most capital intensive and risky production system. The present study demonstrates the usefulness of GIS as an aquaculture-planning tool in a region where natural resources are already under considerable pressure.