The traditional method of brackishwater pond culture is widely practiced within the ASEAN countries. In Indonesia and the Philippines, the main species raised is milkfish, and shrimp, which enter the pond with tidal water, is usually considered by the pond farmers as a secondary crop. The exception is Penaeus monodon which is stocked by some farmers either as a main crop or in polyculture with milkfish. In Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, shrimp is the principal crop. In the traditional method of culture, wild shrimp fry are carried into ponds with the current on high tides or with pumped water. Production is dependent on the abundance of wild fry and on the season. Small predatory fish also enter the ponds and this results in high mortalities of the species being cultured. Since water is exchanged frequently to allow more fry to enter the pond, fertilizers are not generally used and production depends entirely on natural conditions. Consequently, yields are low, generally in the range of 100 to 300 kg/ha/year.
Rapid progress has been made in shrimp culture, however, and recent developments have shown that with proper management, yields in traditional ponds can be increased to 600 to 1 000 kg/ha/year without supplemental feeding. In Taiwan, yields equivalent to 10 000 kg/ha/year have been obtained in intensive culture with artificial feed and aeration (Liao, 1977). To consolidate the recently developed technology on the culture of shrimp in ponds within the ASEAN member countries, an ASEAN Seminar/ Workshop on Shrimp Culture was held at Iloilo City, Philippines, from 15 to 23 November 1976.
This manual was developed primarily from material presented at this Seminar/Workshop and is intended to serve as an aid to researchers and extension workers in their efforts to assist shrimp farmers in increasing their production. All the participants contributed to the discussions of each subject. Mr. Harry L. Cook of the South China Sea Fisheries Development and Coordinating Programme assembled the material and added additional information from the literature. Each participant, as well as other experts in this field, who did not attend the workshop, then had an opportunity to critically examine the draft of the manual and make comments or add additional material. The result is that this manual is truly a group effort. A list of the participants, observers, resource persons, workshop staff and technical advisers, is given in ANNEX A. In addition, as part of the workshop, field trips were made to local shrimp farms and information obtained on these visits is also incorporated in the manual.
Due to the wide range of experience of the participants and variation in the type of pond culture practiced in their home countries, it is thought this manual contains most of the technology available within the region. In addition, an attempt has been made to make the manual as comprehensive as possible by incorporating pertinent information from the literature.
