Lake Saroma is the third largest lake in Japan with two large rivers flowing into the lake that is connected to the Okhotsk Sea through two small artificial inlets. During peak inflows major areas are exposed to severe flooding which has called for flood protection measures.

These measures may potentially damage the local fishing industry which is a major business and one of the major sources of aqua-cultured scallops in Japan with a total production exceeding 100 million USD per year.

Various schemes like widening the channel at the mouth of the largest river, Baro or even relocating the channel position were consequently investigated to identify the most optimal flood protection scheme that - at the same time - would leads to an optimal management plan for sustainable aquaculture in particular the scallops and oyster farming.