For the purpose of this study, a total of six respondents were selected at random. Three respondents were selected for each area based on the size of the farm, the general performance, the types of fish cultured and the period of operation. In this manner, the differences in farm size, culture, management and marketing techniques will be representative of the present commercial culture. Respondents A, B and C were chosen from the Bukit Tambun area and Respondents D, E and F were from the Penang east coast area. In order to safeguard the identity of the respondents, their names were not revealed.
The questionnaire was designed to obtain the following information, through interview by two of the authors in April 1985 (see Appendix 1):
Culture Techniques
Marketing of Cultured Fish
Training
Farm Management
Financial Costs
Information was gathered through informal discussions with the respondents. For example, discussions were held when the respondents were carrying out their daily activities on the cage culture farms. In this way, it was hoped that the respondents would be able to express their thoughts more freely. In addition, the authors were also able to actually observe the activities carried out by the respondents on the farms.
