Aquaculture Development Potential in Arizona - A GIS Based Approach

Arizona aquaculture production in 2000 was 680 metric tons. Finfish including tilapia, bass, trout and catfish accounted for 590 metric tons, while other culture organisms, primarily marine shrimp rounded out production. The continued success of the aquaculture industry in Arizona is dependent on the success of individual farms. By increasing the chances of success through the proper selection of species, location and culture practices, failure in aquaculture and therefore a negative association can be avoided. A GIS-based model enabling extension personnel, land-use managers, farmers and other interested persons to evaluate potential aquaculture sites in Arizona has been developed. The primary objective of the project was to synthesize readily available data into a model capable of predicting locations in which aquacultural development could be economically and environmentally viable. Data layers included in our model can be grouped into the following categories: • Site Suitability • Water Quality • Land Ownership • Infrastructure To test the model’s predictive power, existing aquaculture farms were marked on a map generated by the model. Of the 31 farms depicted on the map, 21 occur in areas predicted to have suitable slope and sufficient soil clay content. Of the 10 that occur in areas not predicted as suitable, 5 have the correct slope, 3 have suitable soils and only 2 have neither. Further testing included the generation of species specific (tilapia, trout, bass, catfish and marine shrimp) maps with the locations of exiting operations plotted. Of the five models tested, marine shrimp farms were most likely to occur in areas predicted as suitable by the model (67% correct). Trout farms were least likely to have their sites predicted as suitable by the model (27%). Bass, catfish and tilapia farm locations were predicted accurately 65%, 57% and 62% of the time, respectively. BACKGROUND Interest in aquaculture in the state of Arizona is on the rise. Currently, there are over 30 licensed aquaculture operations in Arizona, including finfish producers, marine shrimp producers, research/educational facilities and distributors. Arizona aquaculture production in