A multi-criteria evaluation method for sturgeon farming site selection in the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea

Abstract Nowadays, human societies encounter the challenges to provide food and livelihood of the people. The aquaculture industry is one of the essential solutions dealing with these problems. Site selection is a beneficial way to reduce pressure on the ecosystem and to understand the environment's potential. In this study, suitable sites for sturgeon cultivation in the southern coast of the Caspian Sea, Golestan Province, Iran were optimized using multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) method. First, the criteria into three groups were categorized: environmental, infrastructural, and water resources. Then, the maps were Fuzzy based on the sturgeon's characteristics and expert opinions. Afterward, to determine the effect of each criterion, criteria were weighted by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). Finally, based on the weighted linear combination (WLC) approach, the layers and created the final map were combined. Results represented three sites which were most desirable for sturgeon farming in the Golestan Province coastal area and there are 24638 ha in this region which has the highest desirability for sturgeon farming. Factors such as distance to water resource and distance to roads, industrial and residential areas have had the highest effect on the process of site selection for sturgeon farming. Using MCE method, site selection makes a reasonable decision with little data and creates an understanding of the conflicts among other users in the coastal lands.