Water Quality Management in Aquacultural Production using Aquasmat

This paper introduces a newly developed model, AQUASMAT, and its potential applications, especially in the tropical environment. AQUASMAT can help identify and quantify the cause, effect and relationships between water quality parameters, the physical environment and aquatic ecosystem. It is well suited for production ponds and other water bodies, as well as for predicting general pond dynamics. AQUASMAT is a valuable tool for water quality modeling and aquacultural management. In this overview, the model is shown to have the following capabilities: (1) a graphical user interphase and management data capability; (2) identification and quantification of cause and effect relationships of feed with respect to chemical water quality parameters, the physical environment, and aquatic ecosystem; (3) analysis of complex relationships in impaired production ecosystems and suggestion of cause and management of the various causes of impairment; (4) prediction of feed wastage and economic viability of the production system; (5) presentation of the effect of different management operations on fish yield; (6) tracking of more than 40 parameters which are not easily obtainable from conventional measurement procedures. The model can thus help to fill the knowledge gap and also explore cost-effective and appropriate management measures for ailing aquacultural production systems.