Aquaculture Crsp 21st Annual Technical Report

Eight, three-day workshops were given in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam during June to July 2002. These workshops focused on practical aspects of how to use principles of pond dynamics to improve pond management and optimize fertilization efficiencies for natural food production in semi-intensive aquaculture systems. The centerpiece of the workshops was learning how to apply the algal bioassay fertilization strategy (ABFS) using the simple algal bioassay test kit developed by Michigan State University (MSU) through the Aquaculture Collaborative Research Support Program (CRSP). Fifteen test kits were left at each workshop site. Nearly 150 total participants representing universities, government fisheries offices, non-profit organizations, and community farming groups participated in the workshops. Responses to the workshops have been very positive. Reports from several countries indicate that researchers and farmers alike are adopting the ABFS because it is practical and promotes economically-efficient natural food production by using a simple ecological approach to identify pond-specific fertilization requirements.