Description

Abstract: The Pond Dynamics/Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (PD/A CRSP) supports applied research and outreach programs for pond-based food-fish production, with funding under the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Since its inception in 1982, the PD/A CRSP has accomplished a wealth of collaborative, multi-national, multi-institutional aquaculture projects, including facilities, investigators, and user-groups in Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Panama, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Thailand, and the USA.

The PD/A CRSP Central Database is a centralized data storage and retrieval system for PD/A CRSP research and for other aquaculture research programs with compatible Objectives and standardized methodology. The Database currently contains over 80 aquaculture production studies and represents the world’s largest inventory of standardized aquaculture data. The majority of studies currently in the Database are for production of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in sub-tropical and tropical, solar algae ponds, receiving inputs of plant materials, inorganic/organic fertilizers, and/or prepared feeds. Studies of other pond fishes and penaeid shrimp, under monoculture and polyculture management, are also available.

The PD/A CRSP Database can be accessed free of cost by aquaculture researchers, educators, outreach and extension agents, and producers. Data may be searched and extracted according to geographical site, calendar year, fish species, and fish production methods. Weather, water quality, fish performance, and fish culture management regimes may be viewed in raw or Summary forms and in graphical or tabular formats. All extracted datasets include references to research investigators, physical descriptions of research facilities, and related publications. An interface to the Database is provided at its Internet Web Site, located at http://biosys.bre.orst.edu/crspDB/. This publication mechanism provides immediate and comprehensive access to the Database worldwide.

The PD/A CRSP Database provides a model for standardized design and reporting of pond-based aquaculture research, and it provides a publication mechanism that leverages the usefulness of such research to the greater aquaculture community. Full reporting of weather, water quality, fish performance, and fish management regimes provides a sound empirical foundation for planning, design, management, and analysis of aquaculture enterprises.