Overall project progress has been delayed by delays in registering the project in DIPA (Daftar Isian Pelaksanaan Anggaran - Agreed Activity Implementation Budget). Because DIPA registration and bank account approval could not be completed until late 2010, many activities could not be carried out in 2010 and have been delayed until 2011. This has led to a delay in implementing most project activities of around 1 year.
Trials with tilapia and milkfish in Aceh had mixed success with 3 out of 9 farmer-managed ponds failing due to high salinity. Of the remaining ponds, 1 research pond and 3 farmer-managed ponds demonstrated economic returns comparable with traditional shrimp farming. Two research ponds and two farmer-managed ponds achieved a return less than the project's reference for traditional shrimp farming (i.e. IDR 1 million per hectare per cycle) and one farmer-managed pond provided a net negative return (loss). In general, tilapia performed better at salinities <20 ppt, whereas at higher salinities milkfish tended to perform better.
In South Sulawesi, tilapia trials were commenced in March - April 2011 at Bonto Bahari and Salenrang in Maros District, and Kanaungan in Pangkep District.
Farmer response to these trials has been positive, with farmers interested in trialling tilapia culture. Some farmers are planning to alternate dry season production of shrimp or milkfish with wet season production of tilapia.
Soft-shell crab culture training was undertaken in Aceh in May 2010 in Aceh Timur, Aceh Utara, Bireuen and Aceh Besar districts. Market price remains a constraint to the expansion of soft-shell crab aquaculture in Aceh.
Lobster puerulus collectors were established at 3 sites in Pulau Simeulue in Aceh. After two months, no puerulus had been collected. However, local fishermen noticed that puerulus had settled on fish cage nets and small juveniles could be collected from coral rubble habitats. Rough weather damaged or destroyed most of the collectors. They have subsequently been replaced with a more robust design, or the collector material relocated to net cages.
Future trials in 2011 will evaluate tilapia and swimming crabs in South Sulawesi, and continue to develop brackishwater culture of tilapia in Aceh.

Trials with Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) either alone or co-cultured with milkfish (Chanos chanos) in Aceh have demonstrated that tilapia cultured in low-salinity (<20 ppt) brackishwater ponds can provide income to farmers comparable with shrimp culture. Out of a total of 22 trials to date, 9 ponds (41%) have met or exceeded our reference profitability of IDR 1-5 million per hectare per crop (Fig. 1). Fourteen ponds (64%) have been 'profitable', i.e. have generated positive economic returns. This figure is similar to the profitability figure for traditional shrimp ponds (64-73%), indicating that Nile tilapia culture in brackishwater ponds provides economic returns similar to traditional shrimp culture.
Farmer response to the trials in both Aceh and South Sulawesi has been positive. Several farmers in Aceh are now alternating cropping shrimp (dry season) with tilapia (wet season) to reduce the risks of wet-season disease outbreaks in shrimp. Farmers in South Sulawesi have formed a farmer group, supported by project participants, to provide support to new tilapia farmers and provide a resource for the more widespread introduction of tilapia culture.
Two cycles of pond trials with swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) co-cultured with milkfish and the edible seaweed Caulerpa have been undertaken in South Sulawesi. Profitability of these trials was negative or, at best, marginally positive due to problems harvesting the swimming crabs from the ponds. In response, we are collaborating with staff of the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, to develop better techniques for harvesting swimming crabs in traditional ponds.
The crab polyculture trials have shown that culture of the edible seaweed Caulerpa is highly profitable, mainly due to the low requirements for inputs to seaweed culture and a strong local market in South Sulawesi where Caulerpa is consumed as a salad vegetable. Consequently, the project will increase its focus on this commodity.
Assessment of lobster puerulus resources in Aceh is being carried out in collaboration with SMAR/2008/021 'Spiny lobster aquaculture development in Indonesia, Vietnam and Australia'. Lobster puerulus collectors have been established at four locations on Pulau Simeulue, which has an existing lobster fishery and established market linkages. At three of these locations few or no puerulus were caught. The fourth site on the west coast of Pulau Simeulue (Desa Latak Ayah) seems to have reasonable puerulus settlement but is very remote from the main township and difficult to monitor. Pulau Breueh, near Banda Aceh, also seems to have good puerulus settlement and future research will focus on Pulau Breueh.
Development of grouper grow-out at Pulau Simeulue has been constrained by poor availability of fingerlings from the local Coastal Fish Seed Production Centre (Balai Benih Ikan Pantai - BBIP). An assessment of the production constraints at BBIP Simeulue in October 2011 indicated that problems with microalgal production were limiting production of rotifers used as initial feed organisms for the grouper larvae. In response, the project supported a post-graduate student from the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Sam Ratulangi University, Manado, North Sulawesi, to provide training to BBIP Simeulue staff in culturing rotifers without microalgae, using simple and cheap culture techniques. Further evaluation of constraints to fingerling production, and additional training, will be undertaken in conjunction with BBIP Simeulue staff.
Dr Ageng Herianto (Department of Agriculture, UGM) supervised a socio-economic assessment amongst 31 farmers in the community of Kanaungan village, the site of Nile tilapia culture trials in South Sulawesi. This study concluded that while trial / demonstration ponds are an effective extension method to introduce and support the diffusion of new technologies, farmers still lack confidence in farming Nile tilapia due to a lack of previous experience, and that continued support and provision of technical information is necessary to build up their confidence. One way to support technology diffusion to farming communities is to use a small group or 'clique' to transfer learnings to potential adopters.
In addition to the UGM study, discrete socio-economic studies were carried out by students from the Faculty of Marine Science and Fisheries at Hasanuddin University, Makassar, supervised by Dr Mardiana E. Fachri. The three studies evaluated communication mechanisms amongst farmers involved in Nile tilapia trials, described economic aspects of Nile tilapia and milkfish culture in ponds, and evaluated the market potential for Nile tilapia in South Sulawesi.