Introduction

Aquaculture managers are confronted with complex decisions for culture facilities, effects on the environment, and the role in larger farming systems. Analytical tools for decision support systems integrate knowledge as mathematical models, expert systems, and databases into software systems. The PD/A CRSP has developed POND^©, a software package that provides capabilities for simulation modeling and economic analyses of pond facilities. POND© and similar decision support systems are potentially valuable tools for assessing the economic and ecological impacts of alternative decisions on production, and for increasing understanding of the interrelationships which can control production dynamics. By capturing the fundamental principles affecting pond production, coupling these with appropriate economic analyses, and presenting results in a readily understandable manner, these decision support tools can improve the design, management, and analysis of production facilities.

Within the Ninth Work Plan, the PD/A CRSP will continue to improve and refine aquaculture decision support tools, focusing on 1) improving the utility of POND^© software for education and extension purposes, 2) enhancing POND^©s underlying models in the areas of pond sediment-water column interactions, 3) calibrating and validating POND^© for additional culture organisms, particularly various shrimp species, and 4) enhancing POND^©s ability to address scheduling and other applied pond management issues. These improvements should improve the usefulness of the software in addressing the needs of both educators and pond managers, and allow improved decisionmaking in areas related to fertilization, feeding, stocking, water use and effluent discharge, and economic optimization.