Application Of Gis Technique To Site Selection For Aquaculture Development In The Coastal Local Government Areas Of Akwa Ibom State
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Application Of Gis Technique To Site Selection For Aquaculture Development In The Coastal Local Government Areas Of Akwa Ibom State
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study.
Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest expanding production sectors, with significant promise for food security and poverty alleviation. It is the intentional cultivation in water of economically valuable fin fish, shellfish, aquatic plants, and other species for food, recreation, ornamentation, or scientific/educational purposes (King and Jonathan, 2003).
Landings from aquaculture around the world have increased quickly over the previous decade, at a rate of 10-15 percent each year (Hossain and Das, 2012). According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO, 2010), total aquaculture was 26.7 million tonnes in 1996 and rose to 52.5 million tonnes in 2008. In 2012, global aquaculture production for edible fish totalled 66.63 million tonnes.
The rapid growth was caused by a combination of increased global population and declining artisanal fisheries catches (Caddy and Griffiths 1995; Pauly 2002; Hossain and Das 2012).
Nigeria owns significant fisheries and has an 853-kilometer coastline that borders the Gulf of Guinea. The territorial sea is 12 nautical miles exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and the continental shelf is narrow, covering a total area of 41,000 square kilometres (Essen, 2000). The government has recognised fisheries as a tool of achieving food security, export revenue, and poverty alleviation.
According to the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Agriculture (MOA, 2013), the country’s fisheries production was estimated to be 600,000 million tonnes, with aquaculture production in Nigeria ranging from 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes.
According to MOA (2010), fish supply in Akwa Ibom State was 297,000 million tonnes in 2009, indicating that the zone makes a significant contribution to Nigeria’s domestic fish industry. Akwa Ibom State, one of the country’s marine states, with an estimated 129-kilometer coastline (Essen, 2000).
The copious inshore/coastal waters, together with numerous rivers, mangroves, marshes, streams, flood plains, lakes, and reservoirs, create an ideal setting for the production of bountiful fish and fisheries products.
Wetlands in the state’s coastline region are vastly underutilised and underdeveloped for fish production, justifying the development of aquaculture in this area.
Aquaculture is a relatively young agricultural sector in Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local government regions, and it is still in the early stages of development. However, due to disturbance and deterioration of the marine and coastal ecosystems in this region, catches from the industrial and artisan fisheries sub-sector are gradually declining.
This fishing strain frequently rises to unsustainable levels due to rising human population, demand, improved and diverse fishing gear, and motorisation of fishing vessels.To meet global demand, Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local government districts must embrace aquaculture and encourage increased investment in fish production and cultivation.
The study area’s aquaculture potential has not been developed to the extent that one would expect given the existing potential (King and Jonathan, 2003). There are currently 45 fish farms in the research region, eight of which are non-functional and have been abandoned, and eight of which produce significantly less than their potential (MOA, 2014). According to state fisheries statistics, the sector’s annual output capacity is 321.42 mt (MOA, 2013).
It is critical to emphasise here that many interested or potential farmers want proper information or education in optimising site selection for aquaculture development, which this research will address in the coming days.
The nutritional value of fish to humans cannot be defined because micronutrients and biochemicals in fish have been connected to excellent health, longevity, and the prevention of high cardiac vascular mortality caused by cholesterol (king and Jonathan, 2003).
Because of the expected reduction in global capture fisheries over the next few decades, increasing fish production through aquaculture development is the most practical approach to provide more dietary protein (FAO, 2013).
The State Department of Fisheries recognises that a lack of baseline knowledge on the quantity and dynamics of fish resources, as well as viable areas for aquaculture development, has hampered sector planning and management (MOA, 2014).
Geographic Information System (GIS), a combination of computer hardware and specialised software for storing, manipulating, and analysing data of various types with a common geographic base, has provided useful technical support in evaluating land characteristics and performance when used for a specific purpose.
It can also be used to anticipate the properties of a certain site or to find all sites with the required characteristics.The goal of Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) methodologies is to explore a variety of alternatives in the context of numerous criteria and competing objectives.It is a technique for comparing scenarios and selecting the best one following a sequence of comparisons, evaluations, and rankings (Hossain & Das, 2012).
MCE integration within a GIS framework has the potential to improve decision-making processes. In the last decade, MCE has garnered renewed interest in the context of GIS-based decision making.
That combination may be effective in resolving conflicting situations for individuals or organisations interested in spatial context, as well as a powerful technique to assessing site suitability (Joerin, Theriault, and Mussy, 2001).
Accurate identification, measurement, and characterisation of potential aquaculture development sites are critical, as aquaculture is one of the most important activities in natural system usage.
This usage must be limited to areas suited for economic development. MCE and GIS can be used to provide reports in the form of tabular data, graphics, and, most crucially, maps or sets of suitability maps.
1.2 Statement of Problem
The purpose of this study was to identify appropriate sites for aquaculture development in Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local government regions. High productivity in any firm is not solely dependent on ideas, but also on instruments for putting those ideas into action.
In the research region, there are plentiful inshore and coastal waterways, as well as rivers, mangrove swamps, creeks, flood plains, lakes, and reservoirs, all of which provide an ideal environment for the production of abundant fish and fishing products.
The abundance of wetlands in this region is vastly underutilised and underdeveloped for fish production, justifying the development of aquaculture in the area.
To meet global demand, Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local governments must embrace aquaculture and encourage increased investment in fish production and cultivation.
Many of the farmers who first became involved in fish farming built their fish ponds without suitable technical information from appropriate sources; as a result, a large proportion of the ponds failed to generate satisfactory results, forcing those in business to quit them in some locations (MOA, 2014).
According to Essen (2000) and King (2000), over 75% of the ponds built in the study area between 1990 and 1996 have been abandoned, and those that remain in operation produce far less than their potential yield.
Land pressure is increasing as a result of urbanisation, population growth, and industrialisation; therefore, better management over the use of available land is required.
Furthermore, the state government’s Accelerated Livestock and Fish Production Programme, which was established in 2010 with the goal of establishing 10 fish farm Estates, one in each Federal constituency of the state, as well as 10 community fish farms to produce a total of 5,700 metric tonnes of fish per year with a total value of #2.4 billion for the state economy, was poorly implemented due to a lack of database (MOA, 2013).
Given the need to improve these circumstances, it is necessary to conduct this research to assess and identify suitable sites for aquaculture growth in the study area utilising the Multi-criteria evaluation technique (MCET) in conjunction with a Geographic Information System.
1.3 Research Questions.
What physical characteristics affect aquaculture in the research area?
Where is the best location for aquaculture in the research area?
How can GIS be used to select sites for aquaculture in the research area?
1.4 Aims and Objectives
The primary goal of the project was to use GIS techniques to select sites for aquaculture development in Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local government units.
The study aimed to achieve the following objectives:
Identification of the physical characteristics affecting aquaculture in the research region.
Create a GIS database for aquaculture development.
Assessing the site’s viability for aquaculture by spatial classification of inherent natural features.
1.5 Significance of the Study
The outcomes of this study are likely to benefit various fisheries authorities, as well as interested and prospective farmers, who demand enough knowledge or training in aquaculture site selection.
It would provide them with the foundation for optimising site selection for aquaculture development in relation to the specific culture system and species chosen, as well as the problems encountered in suitable site selection for aquaculture and the road map to the enterprise’s long-term development.
The database created by this study is intended for a wide range of audiences, including aquatic science undergraduates and graduate students, lecturers, researchers, scientists, professional practitioners, consultants, administrators, policymakers, managers, and stakeholders in aquatic systems.
The report also includes a synthesis of key data and expert advice on modern concepts and objective approaches for aquaculture site selection. The study is expected to serve as a crucial reference in the systematic planning of effective aquaculture development in the study region.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study’s goal was to identify and evaluate potential aquaculture development sites in Akwa Ibom State’s coastal local government areas. As a result, the study focused on technical considerations when selecting an aquaculture development site. Soil drainage, soil texture, soil pH, slope, and elevation appropriateness classes were all deemed viable factors for this study.
The technical support tool employed was a combination of Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) methodologies inside a Geographic Information System environment for assessing and integrating various soil properties to fulfil the study’s goal.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
Rainfall and temperature data were obtained from Exxon-Mobil’s meteorological station, Qua Iboe Terminal (QIT), in the Ibeno local government region. Data from this station was utilised because it is the nearest station to the study area and has regular weather records.
One issue with performing climate data research in the area is a severe lack of such data; this is due to the fact that the QIT meteorological station in Ibeno was the sole operational station in the study area.
Because the rainfall and temperature data were obtained from a single station, there is no local geographic fluctuation. The daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, and yearly fluctuations found in the dataset from multiple stations would have been extremely informative and relevant to this project.
1.8 Study Area
1.8.1: Location and Aerial Extent
The coastal local government areas of Akwa Ibom State include an area of 2,318 square kilometres, and the geographical analysis includes the zones between latitude 4o30’N and 5o00’N of the Equator and longitude 7o00’E and 8o20’E of the Greenwich meridian. It is flanked to the south by the Atlantic Ocean, which spans from Ikot Abasito Oron. A spreading volume of water appears to lick the skyline from flank to flank.
It encompasses the Qua Iboe River Basin, the western portion of the lower Cross River Basin, and the eastern half of the Imo River Basin, with an ocean front extending 129 kilometres from Ikot Abasi in the west to Oron in the east.
The study area depicts a stunning coastal landscape with mangrove forests and a magnificent sandy beach resort. It is connected by decent roads to the Exxon Mobil Terminal (Qua Iboe Terminal), the Mobil Airstrip at Eket
the Aluminium Smelting Company (ALSCON) in Ikot Abasi, the Ibom Airport at Okobo, and the International Airport in Port Harcourt. Every component of the research region has Global System for Mobile (GSM) connection.
1.8.2 Climate
Akwa Ibom State’s coastline local government regions have a tropical climate with two distinct seasons: dry (November-March) and wet (April-October). The wet seasons are occasionally interrupted by a brief dry period in August (August break), with an average annual rainfall of 3500 millimetres and sunny temperatures ranging from 23 to 31 degrees Celsius (MOA, 2014).
Despite seasonal fluctuations, rainfall is predicted throughout the year due to the nature and location of Ikot Abasi, Eastern Obolo, Ibeno, Eket, Mbo, and Oron near the coast, which is exposed to a hot maritime air mass. The average annual sunlight hours are 1,450, with the highest humidity reported in July and the lowest in January.
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