Design of sustainable mariculture management at Saleh Bay, Sumbawa District

Abstract

Mariculture activities have complex problems as they are related to the activities in the mainland. These mariculture activities will affect biophysical conditions and supporting capacity of water, social economic conditions, institutions and mariculture technology all of which are closely related to each other to form a complex system. The dynamics and complexities of problems currently confronted are dynamic process, realized as series of possible events expected to happen in the future. However, their occurence depends on current goverment policies. To support the implementation of government’s policy to make Saleh Bay as a center for developing mariculture, we need multi-dimensional approach. This will allow the concept of sustainable development to be carried out to ensure the ecosystem preservation with due regard to the limitation of environmental capacity so that it can generate economic benefits to the people and regional economy continuously. The main objective of this research is to develop a design of sustainable mariculture management at Saleh Bay, district of Sumbawa. The specific objective of the research are: (1) to analyze the suitability of water for mariculture; (2) to analyze the capacity of water to support mariculture; (3) to analyze index and status of sustainability of mariculture management; and (4) to develop strategy for managing mariculture continuously. Some analytical tools used in this research were water suitability analysis, supporting capacity analysis, Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) analysis, and quantitative descriptive analysis. Water suitability area for seaweed culture is around 22.860,19 ha. The area for culturing grouper based on KJA system is 27.814,14 ha. The area for water’s supporting capacity, based on water’s capacity for seaweed is 12.309,34 ha or around 31.536 units. Meanwhile, the supporting area based on N-assimilation capacity approach for green seaweed is 21.232,91 ha or 54.443 units and for brown seaweed is 16.900 ha atau 43.325 units. The area of water’s supporting capacity for mariculture based on water capacity for KJA system based-grouper culture is 23.902,81 ha or around 31.536 units. The supporting area based on total N supply-in-water approach is 27.814,18 or 345.836 units. Status for sustainability of mariculture management for seaweed cultivation based on long-line system and for grouper culture based on KJA system at Saleh Bay, District of Sumbawa currently, according to multidimentional scale, can be categorized as “less sustainable”. For the short-term and medium term scenario, its status improves from “less sustainable” to “sufficiently sustainable” and in the long-run scenario, it will increase to “very sustainable”. While sustainability status for KJA mariculture management in the short and medium terms remains “less sustainable”, in the long-term scenario, its sustainability status increases from “less sustainable” to “sufficiently sustainable”.