Monitoring
Although all shrimp ponds require some monitoring, the type and frequency of monitoring varies greatly. Large, extensive ponds require the least amount of monitoring. Conditions critical for shrimp survival seldom develop in these ponds because chemical and biological mass flux rates are low. Furthermore, there are few practical management options, except water exchange, should water quality problems arise. The type of monitoring needs, as well as monitoring frequency, increase as the intensity of culture increases. Intensive culture ponds require nearly constant human attention, while ultra-intensive systems often need both constant human attention and constant electronic monitoring (Boyd & Fast, 1992).

The water quality variables most often monitored in shrimp ponds are pH, salinity, dissolved oygen, plankton abundance, water clarity, ammonia, nitrite, and hydrogen sulfide. These variables can be measured with satisfactory accuracy using uncomplicated means, and it is possible to make meaningful management inferences from these data. It usually is impossible to interpret soil analyses, and soil analyses are not recommended as a routine practice (Boyd & Fast, 1992).

One of the most uncomplicated and useful pond monitoring approaches is simple visual observation. Visual observations and salinity measurements are the only routine monitoring done by most intensive shrimp farmers in Taiwan. In addition to color or turbidity changes, visual inspection can yield information about the condition of the shrimp. Conditions such as distress, lethargy, hyperactivity, feeding or disease can be observed. Feeding observations normally are made using a small "feed net". The feed is placed on top of a net suspended in the water, and the feeding activity of the shrimp can be ascertained. Visual observations should be made frequently during the day and night, with shorter observation intervals for intensive culture systems. While visual observations can suffice for experienced pond managers, they are most useful when coupled with chemical and physical observations such as dissolved oxygen, Secchi disk, salinity, and water temperatures (Boyd & Fast, 1992).