Potential Applications of Spatial Information Technology in Aquaculture

and Inland FisheriesBy

M.N.Reddy, G.P.Reddy and B.S.Sontakki

M.N.Reddy NAARM,Hyderabad

Spatial Information Technology

Geographical Information system(GIS) +

Global Positioning system(GPS)+

Remote Sensing(RS)

Sustainable management of Natural Resources:

• Spatial distribution and Resource inventoryof water bodies including small water bodies

• Site selection for targeted fish species

• Trade-offs among alternative usesof natural resources

• Environmental impact assessment

• Sustainable fish farming developmentthrough selection of suitablesites for fish ponds etc.

Some Potential applications

· How many water bodies are there?

· Where are they?

· What is their size distribution?

· What amount of water do they maintain during the dry season?

· Are their present uses compatible with fisheries and aquaculture?

· How productive are they biologically?

Inventory of Water Bodies

Objectives:

• To estimate area under Aquaculture in mandals(Blocks) of East and West Godavari districts of Andhra Pradesh

• To select representative samples for primary data collection

Data

• IRS P6 (Resource Sat) data (Sensor: AWiFS, resolution:70m

• AP Mandal Map (Block)

• AP District Map

Andhra Pradesh District Map

Andhra Pradesh Mandal Map

East Godavari

West Godavari

East Godavari and West Godavari Mandals Shape file

West Godavari

East Godavari

IRS-P6 Data product

Product Code: STPCD027J

East Godavari and West Godavari Districts image

Yelamanchili Mandal from West Godavari DistrictMandal Subset

Legend

Rice Fields

Water Body

Forest

Settlements

Fallow land

Sandy Area

!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.

West Godavari District

Yelamanchili Mandal Landuse

Map

Yelamanchili Mandal Water body

Map

Pond Location

Sites Favorable for Tropical Shrimp Farming(CNES – IFREMER, 1987)

LAND SUITABILITY ANALYSIS FOR AQUACULTURE

Themes(maps) to be overlaid in GIS•Water resources (rivers, streams, lakes ,

dams etc.)•Land use type (agriculture, irrigation, shrimp

farming, forestry etc.)•Environmental characteristics (temperature,

elevation, soils etc.)•Protected areas (Mangroves, conservation

zones etc.)•Pollution sources (location of industries,

sugar factories, domestic waste etc.)Urban development (Cities, towns andvillages)

Land Suitability Maps (Nath et al.2000)

Suitable lands for Brackish Water aquaculture

Suitable lands for Brackish Water Shrimp culture

Land suitability for development of watershed pond aquaculture

1. Suitability of Soils for Catfish farming

development

2. Suitability of Soils for Catfish farming compared with the locations of existing farms

Lake Dynamics Using RS and GIS

Objective:To test the feasibility of using RS datato study shoreline dynamics

Map of the Dynamics of the Lake

Identifying Areas for Fish Pond Development

• Ground water depth.• Water quality.• Soil chemical characteristics - as they affect water

productivity and quality.• Distance from feed suppliers and fish processing

plants - as they affect transport costs.• Spatial development cost variations, e.g. cost

penalties for siting within the 100yearfloodplain area.

• A slope map could have been incorporated to eliminate the subjectivity in assessing relative ratings

• Loss of Mangrove forest of fertile Land

• Degradation of soil due to sedimentation

• Determination of water quality

Environmental Impact Analysis of Shrimp Farming ( Tripati, 2005)

Environmental degradation:

PRA integrated to GIS : Mangrove Management (Agdalle & Boromthanarat, 2003)

PRA Data Ground truthing Topographic Map

DigitizedAccuracy Assessment

Base MapMangrove Database

Mangrove Forest Themes

Data Analysis/Overlaying

TablesFinal Map

Results and Conclusion

• PRA information on species, density and location of mangrove forest is highly accurate

• PRA is not accurate tool for area determination of Mangroves Like GPS and RS technologies

• PRA and GIS input provided the framework for integrating data on resources, social, legal and institutional structures

GIS model to assess development patterns of small-scale Rural aquaculture in the wider

environment(Bush,2003)

GPS: To record Latitude and longitude

Information on Fish Ponds• Species stocked• Number of fish stocked• Area of Pond• Types of Food used• Age of Ponds• Main uses of harvestd

fish

Research questions:• What area in the district have potential for

further activities by the government or development agencies?

• How and why are fingerlings of different species traded throughout the district?

• What influence does the availability of water resources have on farmer’s adoption of aquaculture?

• What are the marketing constraints and potentials for farmers in different parts of the districts?

Feature Trends of GIS Applications in Aquaculture:

• Need for workshops

• Efforts in Education?• GIS a routine analysis

• Collaboration with regard to strategic natural resource management

Thank You