Third external evaluation report of the pond dynamics/aquaculture CRSP : program performance from 1 September 1988 to 31 August 1993

External evaluation covers the period 9/88-8/93. The CRSP has been marked by considerable change, some impressive achievements, and new initiatives. The most notable change has been a shift in focus from a study of tilapia production at the El Carao station in northern Honduras to a study of the problems constraining the development of the shrimp industry in brackish water ponds in southern Honduras. Significant changes have also occurred in Rwanda, where studies were delayed, relocated, or temporarily abandoned early on due to political unrest in the North, and the termination of the remarkably successful tenure of the U.S. research associate. However, research prospects improved in early 1993 when political crisis eased, the research associate was replaced, and resident, host country staff were able very successfully to implement the project as planned. Thailand continues to be a model project. Research and the production of scientific literature have been of high quality; educational and outreach elements have been remarkable; and the project's role in Southeast Asia has expanded. The region could serve as springboard for further aquaculture research in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The University of California, Davis, has continued to develop several pond dynamics models, which are now in use. These have clarified general understanding of such sensitive parameters and/or relationships as primary production, sensitivities of phytoplankton to light, interrelationships between temperature and dissolved oxygen, and the effects of turbidity and depth on pond productivity. Oregon State University (OSU) continues to translate project field research findings into pond management guidelines for global use. One of the guidelines, which governs the fertilization of aquaculture ponds, is considered a landmark development in the science of fishpond management. A recent development of major significance has been the addition, after lengthy negotiations with representatives of Egypt's National Agriculture Research Project, of a new temperate site into the CRSP. The effort will include studies on polyculture, bioconversion, and biotechnology, and is funded under a separate contract. Participants will include new researchers from long-time CRSP institutions such as OSU as well as a new institution (the University of Oklahoma) and a new host country entity (the Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Abassa, Egypt). A second major initiative has been the testing of CRSP models on research stations and farms in the Philippines. This has been made possible by the 20% increase in funding provided the project in 5/91 and by matching funds from the University of Hawaii and Central Luzon State University. Also in the Philippines, cooperation with the International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management (ICLARM) appears to hold opportunities, especially in regard to stock testing of improved tilapia strains. In summary, the CRSP is exceptional for several reasons: (1) its faithful adherence to the original CRSP concept; (2) its application of a global experiment utilizing U.S. and foreign inputs to strengthen the knowledge base; and (3) its potential to contribute to a new form of agriculture that uses underutilized sources in an environmentally sound way to produce food, income, and employment. The project's most serious constraint is a grossly inadequate level of funding. (Author abstract, modified)