The Estimation of Environmental Carrying Capacity and Economic Value of Seaweed Cultivation in Kemojan Island

Abstract

Eucheuma cottonni cultivation has been a major source of income among residents of Kemojan Island. Expansion of seaweed cultivation area in Kemojan Island waters needs to be anticipated by analyzing the carrying capacity of the aquatic environment. Studies on the environmental carrying capacity of seaweed (E. cottonni) cultivation on Kemojan Island has never been conducted. This study aims to estimate the carrying capacity of the aquatic environment on Kemojan Island for seaweed cultivation. We have combined BOD5, tropic saprobic index (TSI), and regression to estimate the carrying capacity of the coastal environment for seaweed cultivation. There were 5 observation stations in this study. The measurement resulted in TSI values that ranged between 2.43 to 7.43 (slightly polluted to unpolluted categories) and BOD5 values between 2.6 to 5.4 ppm (below the sea waters pollution threshold). The total estimated area capacity that can be developed for E. cottonni cultivation was approximately 86.2 ha (sea waters) with a potential production of 7,392 tons (wet weight) per year and economic value reaching IDR 11.09 billion.