Site Suitability Analysis for Bay Scallop Aquaculture and Implications for Sustainable Fisheries Management in the Ha Long Bay Archipelago, Northern Vietnam

A comprehensive site suitability analysis reveals that while 98% of the Ha Long Bay - Cat Ba Archipelago is environmentally suitable for bay scallop aquaculture, infrastructural constraints limit the practical area to just 38%. This study combines environmental factors like temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll-a with infrastructural considerations such as proximity to landing points and markets to assess optimal zones for sustainable scallop farming. The findings highlight a critical trade-off between ecological potential and logistical feasibility, suggesting that strengthening fisheries infrastructure or developing post-harvest processing plants could be pivotal strategies for advancing aquaculture in this UNESCO World Heritage Site while mitigating over-exploitation of capture fisheries.

Marconi, M., Pham, T., Nguyen Tien, C., Pham Thi, K., & Marincioni, F. (2011). SITE SUITABILITY ANALYSIS FOR BAY SCALLOP AQUACULTURE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES MANAGEMENT IN THE HA LONG BAY ARCHIPELAGO, NORTHERN VIETNAM. Journal of Natural Resources and Development. https://doi.org/10.5027/jnrd.v3i0.01