In coastal areas in particular, broad spatial comparison is possible using most of the 7 criteria. In addition, quantitative data are not widely available, especially for higher-level consumers; such data are important for evaluating some criteria such as criteria 2 and 4. Furthermore, This paper presented some quantitative methods for integrating different categories of variables;

the results vary depending on how each category is weighted with respect to interrelatedness. Although some challenges remain, especially regarding statistical PI3K Inhibitor Library screening and practical accuracy, the method proposed herein can be useful for selecting important marine areas to meet the Aichi Target. We thank members of the in S-9 Project and data providers for their helpful discussions and data management. In particular, we wish to thank Munemitsu Akasaka who made several suggestions during discussions on the criteria. We would also like to show our appreciation to the reviewers for their constructive comments. This study was supported in part by The Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (ERTDF, S-9 Project) of the Ministry

of the Environment, Japan. “
“The increasing demand for fish products and the stagnation of fish captures have boosted aquaculture at a global scale [1]. Yet despite significant growth of the sector at a global level, aquaculture in Europe has instead experienced stagnation in the last decade [2]. In order to reverse this trend, European authorities including Target Selective Inhibitor Library the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission are encouraging

the growth of the sector [3]. The recently approved Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) reform [4] and the associated European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF) are expected to set up a framework that changes the current pattern. At the national level, multiannual national strategic plans for aquaculture based on the EU Strategic Guidelines [5] will be approved in 2014 by the European Commission as a tool to overcome what have been identified as the most important barriers for aquaculture growth: “limited access to space and licensing, Demeclocycline industry fragmentation, limited access to seed capital or loans for innovation in a risky context, pressure from imports, long and time-consuming administrative procedures and red tape” [6]. What underlies most of the previous barriers is the “difficulty to integrate environmental policy with viable aquaculture economy, due to the concerns on the environmental impact of aquaculture in Europe” [7]. This integration is especially contentious in the case of marine finfish aquaculture. The experience in other parts of the world shows that accelerated growth of fish farms may lead to important socio-environmental conflicts that decrease, or even in some cases stop the expected growth in finfish aquaculture [8], [9] and [10].