Site Selection, Design and Lay-out

INTRODUCTION

The success of freshwater

fishpond farming depends on the
selection of ideal fishpond site,
proper planning and layout
design, proper construction and
appropriate pond management.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• There are eight factors to
consider in the selection of
ideal fishpond site:
• Water supply
• Ground elevation
• Topography
• Soil
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Vegetation
• Flood hazards
• Climate
• Marketing facilities and other
economic factors
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Water supply
• A source of fresh water whether
from a nearby river or pumps will
be useful during long dry seasons
to prevent excessive rise in pond
salinity.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Water supply
• Rule out places where the water
is affected by siltation or is
contaminated by agricultural or
industrial pollution.
• The supply may come from a
tidal river, a creek or from the
sea.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Ground elevation
• Ideally, this should be at least
0.2m from the mean low tide
(datum plane) in the locality or
at an elevation where at least
0.6 m water depth can be
maintained inside the pond
during ordinary tides.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Ground elevation
• The cost of excavation for high
areas or the operational costs of
pumps to maintain the desired
depth in low areas should be
weighed before construction
plans are drafted.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Topography
• It is cheaper to build on flat
terrains such as level marshes,
swamplands and tidal flats.
• Rolling areas require more
expense for excavation and
leveling.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Soil
• Fishpond should be built in soils
which hold water and are
suitable for good algal growth.
• For this, the best soils are clay,
clay loam and sandy clay.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Soil
• As much as possible, avoid
highly acidic soils characterized
by yellowish to reddish particles
and rocky or gravelly soils.
• Soils within the optimum pH
range of 6.5-9.5 are preferable
for good algal growth and
minimal conditioning.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Vegetation
• Take note the areas with thick
vegetation will require extra time
and expenses for clearing.
• Decomposing tree stumps
particularly of nipa and high-
tannin tree may cause long
lasting acidity in pond soil.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Vegetation
• If freshwater aquatic plants are
abundant, this may indicate low
salinities and future salinities and
future problems with weed
control.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Flood hazards
• Sites which are periodically
flooded and exposed frequently
to strong waves should be
avoided to guard against loss of
stock and damage to
infrastructure.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Climate
• This will essentially affect the type
and growth of natural feeds.
• Areas with 4-6 months dry season
followed by wet season are
more favorable than where
rainfall is distributed throughout
the year.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Marketing facilities and other
economic factors
• Finally, consider if the site is
accessible to market outlets, ice
plants, cold storage and good
transportation facilities.
• Other basic needs which should be
readily available are cheap and
trained labor, production inputs,
and construction materials.
 FISHPOND SITE
SELECTION CRITERIA
• Marketing facilities and other
economic factors
• Even a possible area for
expansion may be considered.
The peace and order situation in
the locality should be
ascertained.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
In designing and planning the
layout of freshwater fishponds,
give careful consideration to the
following:
• Pond compartments
• Water supply
• Drainage
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

•Elevation
•Wind direction
•Protection from flood
•Designing dikes
•Clearing the area
•Canal construction
•Pond bottom leveling
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Pond compartments
• There are three compartments in a
complete freshwater fishpond
system namely: nursery pond, brood
pond and production or rearing
pond.
• The nursery and brood ponds may
comprise 10% of the total area, and
90% for the production pond.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

• Pond compartments
• The pond may be rectangular or
irregular in shape.
• The size of the compartment is
governed by the topography of
the land.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Pond compartments
• This may vary from less than one
to two hectares for good
management.
• Smaller pond units require
greater construction and
maintenance cost.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Traditional pond lay-out
• Traditional pond lay-out is used in
traditional bangus culture.
• The system refers to the straight
culture of mono-sized stock in
every pond compartment.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Traditional pond lay-out
• Nursery ponds (NP) – Nursery ponds
are smaller ponds used exclusively
for the rearing of fry to fingerlings.
• These ponds occupy about 1-10%
of the total production area.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Traditional pond lay-out
• Transition ponds (TP) – Fingerlings
from the nurseries are kept in
transition ponds until they reach
post-fingerling sizes or until the
rearing ponds are ready for
stocking.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

Traditional pond lay-out

• These ponds comprise about 10-
20% of the total production area.
• Transition ponds are located
adjacent to nurseries for easy
transfer of fry.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

Traditional pond lay-out

• Rearing ponds (RP) – Post
fingerlings are raised to
marketable sized in rearing ponds.
• These ponds comprise about 70-
80% of the total production area.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Traditional pond lay-out
• Catching ponds (CP) - Catching
ponds serve as catchments basins
for harvesting the fish.
• These are constructed near the
gate of the pond and are linked to
the pond by another gate.
Example of a traditional pond lay-out

LEGEND: NP – NURSERY POND

TP – TRANSITION POND
RP – REARING POND
CP – CATCHING POND
SC – SUPPLY CANAL
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Modular pond lay-out
• The modular pond system is easier to
manage and produces higher yields.
• These advantages have favored its
adoption in recent years.
• The design allows for a continuous
program of pond preparation and
harvest.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

Modular pond lay-out

• Nursery ponds (NP) – The size of the
nursery pond depends on the
fingerling requirement of the
rearing ponds which in turn is
based on the maximum target
production per year.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Modular pond lay-out
• These ponds cover approximately
4-10% of the total production area.
• Other considerations are
essentially the same as in the
traditional lay-out.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
Modular pond lay-out
• Transition ponds (TP) – Six percent
of the production area is allotted
for transition ponds.
• Formation/rearing ponds (RP) –
Rearing ponds are divided into
three production modules with a
progression ratio of 1:2:4 or 1:3:9.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT

Modular pond lay-out

• The stock is transferred from the
smaller to the next larger module
intervals within the rearing period.
Example of a modular pond lay-out

LEGEND: NP – NURSERY POND

TP – TRANSITION POND
RP – REARING POND
FP – FORMATION POND
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Water supply
• Provide each compartment with
an individual water supply
system and drainage outlet.
• Provide also a mechanical
emergency spillway for the flow
of excess water from ordinary
rain and to maintain desired
water level in the pond.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Drainage
• Construct the pond to facilitate
easy drainage when harvesting
fish stock and proper cleaning of
the pond bottom.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Elevation
• Construct the pond one meter or
more lower than the source of
water supply but slightly higher
than the drainage area to
obtain at least an average
water depth of one meter for
maximum production.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Wind direction
• Wind plays a role in fishpond design.
• Strong wind generates wave action
that destroys the sides of the dikes.
• To minimize this, position the longer
pond dimensions parallel to the
direction of the prevailing wind to
lessen the side length of the dike
exposed to wave action.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Protection from flood
• If the fish pond site is prone to
flooding, construct a diversion
canal along the perimeter dike
to divert runoff water during
heavy downpour.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Protection from flood
• Construct a larger and higher
perimeter dike to prevent inflow
of water.
 Designing and
Planning the Layout
• Clearing the area
• Clear the entire area of all grasses,
roots and stumps. Burn these
thoroughly.
• Strip surface to an adequate depth
to remove all objectionable or
organic matters.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Canal construction
• Construct the canals
simultaneously as the adjacent
dikes.
• Stake markers to serve as guide
during the excavation of canals.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Canal construction
• Slope the canal gently towards
the drainage gate of pipe to
keep the flow of water sluggish
and to avoid excessive erosion.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Pond Bottom Leveling
• Mechanical leveling is cheaper
and faster than manual
leveling if the pond bottom
can support the equipment
used.
• Use farm tractors or tillers with a
back blade.
 DESIGNING AND
PLANNING THE LAYOUT
• Pond Bottom Leveling
• The carabao and the harrow
may be used in small ponds.
• The pond bottom should slope
gently towards the drainage
gate to facilitate complete
drainage.
Designing and Planning the
Layout

• Pond Bottom Leveling

• Do not plant trees along the
dikes because the roots will
cause leakage and seepage.
Designing and Planning the
Layout

• Pond Bottom Leveling

• Do not plant trees along the
dikes because the roots will
cause leakage and seepage.
Fish pond @ CvSU – Naic Campus
Fish pond @ CvSU – Naic Campus
Fish pond @ CvSU – Naic Campus