Analysis of environmental carrying capacity and load capacity for bagan fisheries in the coastal waters of Donggala Regency, Central Sulawesi

Abstract

Carrying capacity and environmental loads of coastal waters may have received less attention from development planners. Lift net fisheries, locally named bagan, has been growing rapidly in the coastal waters of Donggala Regency, Province of Central Sulawesi. This research was carried out to analyze the carrying capacity and environmental loads for controlling the expansion of bagan fisheries. This research was focused on the coastal waters of 19.53 km2 adjacent to Labean Village, Balaesang District. Measurements of aquatic environmental parameters were performed in-situ and water samples were collected in August to September 2018 for laboratory analysis. Analysis was carried out to determine locations that are environmentally suitable for bagan fisheries. and to calculate the maximum number of bagan that can be accommodated accordingly. All locations inside the study area are suitable for the fisheries. The maximum number of bagan varies with bagan sizes and their minimum gaps between the bagans (150m, 250m and 350m); 629 units for bagan of 7m x 7m with gaps od 150m or 231 units for bagan on 10m x 10m with gaps of 250m and 114 units for bagan of 20m x 20m with gaps of 350m.