ClimeFish Decision Support Software for Hungarian pond aquaculture

Description

The Decision Support Framework (DSF) can be used to explore how various possible feeding and stocking strategies for pond aquaculture would perform (in terms of achieved yield, water use, outlet water quality, etc.) under temperature and precipitation regimes of both the IPCC scenarios RPC 4.5 and 8.5. In addition to physical and biological variables, economic indicators (per-kg production cost of carp and per-hectare economic profit) are also calculated. This enable the users (e.g. farmers but also policymakers) to decide which is the optimal management option. The software is database based and the biological data provided is resulting from models provided by the Research Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the National Agricultural Research and Innovation Centre (NAIK HAKI), based on a pond food web simulation model. Unit prices of inputs and output are given by the user so that farm specific and location specific factors can be taken into account in the economic calculations. Model calculations are made for 3 hypothetical ponds representing the 3 main production regions:

1. Contour fish pond in Southern Great Plain;
2. Contour fish pond in Northern Great Plain;
3. Barrage-dam fish pond in Southern Transdanube.

The user can choose stocking (kg/ha) and feeding rates (kg/ha/season) within given options for each climate scenario, spatial setting and per year up to 2050. The software displays the output of these management scenarios: Expected yields (kg/ha), Expected individual harvest weight, Feed conversion rate (FCR) against stocking rate, Calculated specific water use (m³/kg production, evaporation loss (m³/ha), outlet water quality (N, P, COD). Based on these results and additional user input on unit costs the economic implications of the management is calculated and displayed, e.g. total cost and net profit.

Reference information