52 MARCH 2013 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG Measuring the Performance of Marine Aquaculture All fish farms in the Aegean Sea that use floating cages were assessed using structured questionnaires. These questionnaires measured the performance and located and recorded the factors and parameters that affect performance (economic, social and environmental) of marine fish farms that operate on islands, and the role of each to island sustainability. The measurement of performance uses 33 indicators for the three dimensions of sustainable development: 6 indicators for the economic (F1 - F6), 9 indicators for the social (S1 - S9), and 18 indicators for the environmental (E1 - E18) dimension. The performance measured three dimensions of sustainable development: • Economic, where the annual turnover per ton of product (or per fry) is the critical index. • Social, which takes into account the employment created (quantitative, number of employees, duration, wages) and the qualitative characteristics (education level, gender, ethnicity). • Environmental, where resource consumption and waste generation per ton (or per fry) and the permanent change (deterioration) of the environment caused by infrastructure and facilities are the parameters to be considered. Parameters that Affect the Performance of Marine Aquaculture Until now, commonly accepted parameters affecting the performance of marine fish farming and the indicators for their measurement have not been determined. Thus, it is possible that a significant proportion of subjective opinion could be included in the 14 parameters and the 77 indicators resulting from the research and analysis. To minimize the problem, the Delphi Method was used. To determine parameters and indicators with a much broader acceptance, to classify their share separately at the three components of the sustainable development and appoint their weight, a comprehensive matrix with 14 parameters and 77 indicators was prepared. The survey was sent initially to 80 specific scientists working on research, production and administration for examination, evaluation and completion. The panel of experts was increased to 95 scientists for the second phase of the exercise. Parameters Affecting the State of the Area Based on results of the Delphi survey, 14 factors (Table 1) should be measured to estimate the status (State) of a region. These factors are assessed with 9 indicators for the state of the economy, 11 indicators for the state of society, and 19 indicators for the state of the environment. These initial indicators were supplemented with more specialised indicators for use in productive aquatic ecosystems. The research proceeds to selection of proper indicators for the better measurement of the impact of marine fish farms and to the supplement and adjustment of the existing ETNA methodology. Two additional environmental indicators cover the case where there are other activities taking place in the marine environment: Appearance of alien species or cultivation or farming of alien species. An indicator to estimate the pressure on marine ecosystems (e.g., from Lessepsian immigrants) and the threat of human activities on biodiversity by ecosystem type. Quality of marine waters. An indicator to estimate the quality of marine waters. This is particularly important in the case of marine fish farming because it is the environment in which production takes place and is highly influenced by it, while at the same time, the farms influence it in return. The sustainability goals of island regions are predetermined and quantitative. Monitoring will ensure that, in the course of the programs implemented, activities will not lead to deviation from targets. There is a need to balance theoretical correctness TABLE 1. Factors affecting the state of a region. A/A PARAMETERS INDICATORS 1 Quality Assurance 3 2 Product Differentiation 3 3 Environmental Protection 12 4 Fingerlings Production 2 5 Animal Welfare & Health 5 6 Biodiversity 4 7 Materials Supply 6 8 Site Selection 8 9 Employees 8 10 Public Image 7 11 Group of Companies 3 12 Standardization Level 9 13 Trading 3 14 Promotion 4 TOTAL 77 FIGURE 1. Sustainable development as a continuous process.
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