AbstractThe application of computer modeling to the study of aquaculture ponds is reviewed. Two basic types of models are identified: empirical and mechanistic. In empirical models, the pond system is treated as a ‘black box’, and the relationship between inputs and outputs is determined by statistical analysis of data. In mechanistic models (‘internally descriptive’), processes taking place within the pond are identified and described mathematically. A framework for the development of a mechanistic model of an aquacullure pond is presented. Sample formulations for some critical variables are di