Influencing factors of spatial variation of national marine ranching in China

The construction of modern marine ranching is an important way to protect coastal ecological environment and efficiently produce marine fishery resources in China. This study analyzed the scale, nature and function of national marine ranching in 11 coastal areas from 2015 to 2019, and identified the problems of quantity and area mismatch and regional development imbalance in the current layout. Then the standard deviation ellipse was used to explore the spatial variation characteristics of marine ranching in China. Geographic detector were then used to detect factors affecting spatial distribution. The results show that the spatial variation presents an obvious flattening trend through time. From 2015 to 2018, the overall center of gravity of marine ranching moved to the southwest. The X-axis first decreased and then increased, while the Y-axis showed an increasing trend from northeast to southwest. Marine ranching construction in Liaoning, Guangdong, Guangxi showed an obvious increase on the long axis. In 2019, the average center moved to the northeast due to the fact that no new national marine ranchings were added in Guangxi, Fujian and other places, while the construction momentum was strong in Shandong and Liaoning. In terms of influencing factors, resource difference, scientific and technological input and economic development levels have a significant influence on the spatial variation of marine ranching, and social factors and policy factors need to interact with other factors to play the role. The conclusions of this study can inform China Government decision making for marine ranching construction in coastal areas.