Literature and Its Scope

Conventional pond system

a. Nursery Pond (NP). Nursery ponds or “Similyahan” should not be located adjacent to perimeter dikes. Crab holes and leaks that might open into the pond during the culture process will serve as direct exits of fries from the nursery pond to the river. These will also serve as direct entrance of predators and other unwanted species into the nursery pond, and if this happens it will cause loss of stock.The nursery pond comprises about one percent of the total production area. The most suitable place is where it can be easily supplied with fresh unpolluted water all the time, and at elevation where it can be readily drained even during ordinary low tides. A manageable area ranges from 500 to 10,000 sq.m. per compartment although 1,000 to 5,000 sq.m. per compartment is preferred.

b. Transition Pond (TP). The transition pond or “bansutan” is located adjacent to the nursery pond in order to have an effective and easy transfer of fry. It comprises about 9 percent of the total production area. It is in this pond where fingerlings are stocked and stunted before they are transferred to the rearing pond. The pond bottom of the transition pond is constructed a little bit lower than that of the nursery pond. A manageable area ranges from 1,000 to 20,000 sq.m. per compartment although 5,000 to 15,000 sq.m. is preferred.

c. Rearing Pond (RP). The rearing pond is the largest compartment in the pond system. It comprises about 80 percent of the total production area. It is in this pond where the fingerlings are raised to marketable sizes. Whenever possible its pond bottom elevation will be constructed at least 15 cm. lower than the transition pond's bottom, hence, it must not be lower than the mean low water (MLW). A manageable size ranges from 1.0 to 7.0 hectares per compartment although 2.0 to 5.0 hectares per compartment is preferred specially in type II weather condition.

d. Feed Pond (FP) (Optional). In fishpond areas where natural food does not...