The "Muticriteria Evaluation of Environmental Interactions in Coastal Aquaculture Sites" project will work over the two fiscal years 2004/2005 and 2005/2006.

This project establishes a unique collaboration among scientists with expertise related to aquaculture and environmental interactions at the St. Andrews Biological Station, academics with experience in the application of decision-making methods at the University of Ottawa, the aquaculture industry in south-western New Brunswick, and members of Provincial and Federal governments responsible for aquaculture policy.

The "Multicriteria Evaluation of Environmental Interactions in Coastal Aquaculture Sites" project provides tools for supporting decisions and developing policy through the evaluation of coastal zone sites with potential use for aquaculture and other marine activities. The project applies a geographical representation of selected sites and local ecosystem descriptions. A multicriteria decision problem framework captures differing perceptions about the environmental components from the key stakeholders in the coastal zone including provincial and federal governments, communities, environmental groups, and industry. These perceptions together with the selected site evaluations by participants are used to rank group area preferences. The results support a structured, participatory governance approach to assist in negotiations on coastal zonal siting decisions and practical marine policy development.