Models for Analysis and Practical Realities of Marine Aquaculure Siting

Coastal management is a complicated endeavour, perhaps increasingly so as new science and technology creates opportunities for an expanded array of coastal zone uses. It is unsurprising that some researchers and government decision makers would strive to find means to make management a more simplified, perhaps even formalized, procedure to reduce uncertainty in the process and increase the effectiveness of management. One such proposal is offered by Lane and his colleagues who have developed a multicriteria approach to integrated coastal management. Their approach involves a formalized system in which different stakeholders provide input into a ranking system by which decision makers can compare the preferred uses, and the strength of the consultation participants’ commitment to those uses.