Abstract
Despite numerous studies on the effect of a cold weather disaster on fisheries in 2008, no operational systems have been developed to monitor the threat of such an event to mariculturists in the Penghu Islands (PHI) region of Taiwan. The present study employed a suitable aquaculture site selection map of the inner bay of the PHI to reduce aquaculture losses and mortality rates of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) during extreme events. Daily marine environmental data, including sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll-a concentration (chl-a), and wind speed in the winter, were collected. An extreme event was defined as a period of over 11 days in a month of strong winds (>6 m/s). Four parameters in the PHI inner bay, including SST, cold-water intrusion days, chl-a, and offshore distance to the PHI coastline, were used to evaluate suitable aquaculture sites for cobia culture. The results indicated that La Niña events could not be used as a factor to detect cold-water intrusion events and select suitable aquaculture sites in the PHI. The evaluated suitable aquaculture site selection map, obtained using an arithmetic mean model and a geometric mean model, revealed that the avoidance sites during extreme events were concentrated in the northern and northwestern PHI. Suitable areas were concentrated in the southeastern areas. We further suggested that commercial cobia aquaculture operations in the PHI inner bay could be moved to the suitable sites in southeastern PHI during extreme events.
Highlights
Concerns regarding the effect of marine environments on coastal aquaculture zones have increased in recent decades [1]
During the La Niña events, the water mass flowed into the western Taiwan Strait (TS) along the China Coastal Current (CCC), and 20 ◦C isotherms extended to the south of the Penghu Islands (PHI) (Figure 4b, blue lines)
The La Niña events in February 2011 exhibited a northward movement of 20 ◦C isotherms aRnemdodteiSdennso. 2t0i2n0d, 1i2c,axteFOcRolPdE-EwRaRteErVIiEnWtrusion in the PHI (Figure 4b, blue lines)
Summary
Concerns regarding the effect of marine environments on coastal aquaculture zones have increased in recent decades [1]. Because all parts of the cobia are utilized, they have a high economic product value. These characteristics have made cobia a popular aquaculture species in the Penghu Islands (PHI) [8]. Cobia culture developments and techniques have reached maturity in the PHI, but the industry is still subject to natural disasters. These disasters in the PHI, such as typhoon events in the summer and cold-water intrusions in the winter, are major factors affecting cobia culture development and lead to increased mortality rates and reduced annual outputs [8,13]
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