Identification and Prioritization of Advantages and Risks, Reproduction and Sturgeon Farming (Case Study: Caspian Sea Farms)

Iran is one of the main producers of Caviar. Culture of sturgeon is great economic and ecological importance for countries like Iran in the Northern provinces, including Guilan, Mazandaran and Golestan. This research aimed to identify and prioritize benefits and risks in this industry and its results could cover the risk management process by assisting managers. This study is applicable based on objective and data collection methods descriptive survey. For this purpose, we designed a questionnaire covering economic and ecologic aspects of the activity and distributed it to an expert team comprised economists, statisticians and aquaculturists. Data were analyzed using Excel and Expert choice software. With putting the benefits and risks in the most relevant category, a proposed hierarchy structure has been introduced for benefits and risks priority. Finally, because of the plurality nature of these indexes, AHP has been used for the rank benefits and risks in this study. The results showed that, benefits: maintaining sturgeon, favorable profitability and risks: Lack of experts, sturgeon diseases have the highest rank and also benefits: production of knowledge development, illegal fishing and risks: shortage of target market, insurance support have the lowest rank etc.