Choluteca Region

Site

Site Status: Active Prime Site, 1992 - present

General Description: Research in the Choluteca area is conducted at selected estuarine sampling sites and on selected collaborating shrimp farms around the periphery of the Gulf of Fonseca. The characteristics (e.g., size of ponds and total area in ponds) of the commercial shrimp-producing farms involved in CRSP research in this area vary widely, so descriptions of individual facilities are not included here.

Relative location: Department of Choluteca, southern Honduras.

Latitude and longitude: 13 20'N and 87 15'W

Elevation: 0 m

Water Supply: Supply water for all shrimp farms in the area comes from estuaries of the Gulf of Fonseca, and is delivered to the farms by pumping. River flows are highly variable throughout the year, due to the distinct differences between the rainy and dry seasons. The Choluteca River, for example, may exhibit a dry season flow rate as low as 2 m³/s, whereas it is as high as 1500 m³/s during the rainy season. Quality of water is highly variable, depending on the specific source used (gulf embayment, Choluteca River, or riverine estuaries) and on the season. Seasonal differences are large in the rivers and riverine estuaries, but relatively minor in gulf embayments. Total alkalinity and salinity are higher in the estuaries during the dry season, but are kept relatively low by rainfall and river flow during the rainy season. Estuarine salinities may be near zero during the rainy season while reaching hypersaline levels during the dry season.

Soils: Ponds are excavated primarily in salt flats. Pond soils contain sodium concentrations as high as 10,000 mg/L and concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and potassium as high as 2100, 2300, and 1000 mg/L, respectively. Most soils in the area are alkaline, with pH values greater than 7 (range 6.73 - 7.49). Cation exchange capacities range from 19.5 to 22.1 meq/100 g soil, and clay percentages range from 20 to 45%, depending on the location.

Support Facilties: La Lujosa Water Quality Laboratory is available for conducting all the water quality analyses needed in CRSP-sponsored studies. The research program is supported by the Honduran National Association of Aquaculturists (ANDAH), the Federation of Export Producers (FPX), and the Direccion General de Pesca y Aquicultura, Secrataria de Recursos Naturales, Honduras.

Area/Region

Climate: Köppen classification Aw: Humid tropical group (A), tropical wet-and-dry type (w).

Temperatures: Mean annual air temperatures in the coastal regions are around 27°C. Monthly average maximum air temperatures near the Gulf range from 33°C during October and November to 38°C during April. Monthly minimum air temperatures range from 19°C in December to 24°C in April.

Precipitation:Annual rainfall averages 1450 mm, with most of this falling during the period from May through October (rainy season). Less than 12 mm rain is observed per month between December and April. River flows in the area fluctuate in accordance with precipitation; for example, the discharge of the Negro River becomes negligible during prolonged dry periods, and that of the Choluteca may be less than 2 m³/s during such periods. The mean annual flow of the Choluteca is about 45m³/s.

Humidity: Humidity is very low in Choluteca during the period from November to February.

Seasonality: The climate of southern Honduras is characterized by a distinct dry season, which lasts from November to April and is characterized by lower air temperatures and rainfall than during the rainy season.

Topography: The Choluteca research area is in the low, coastal, estuarine environment of several major rivers and numerous embayments around the periphery of the Gulf of Fonseca. Mangrove forests fringe the Gulf, and coastal plains dominate the landscape up to 60 km inland from the Gulf.

Geology and Soils: The entire southern (Pacific) side of Central America is considered a seismic area, containing several active volcanoes. Soils in the study area are of volcanic origin, formed by processes of alluviation and sedimentation in a brackishwater environment.

Key Personnel and Institutional Affiliations

Contacts

In-Country

Host Country Principal Investigator
Marco Polo Micheletti-Bain
Vice-Minister
Secretaria de Recursos Naturales
Boulevard Miraflores
Tegucigalpa
Honduras
Telephone (Honduras): (504) 32-4054
Fax (Honduras): (504) 32-4054
Email: digepes@ns.hondunet.net

Expatriate Researcher and US Prinicipal Investigator
Bartholomew W. Green
TGU 0100
P.O. Box 025387
Miami, FL 33102-5387
Telephone (Honduras): (504) 32-4019
Fax (Honduras): (504) 32-4019
Email: bwgreen@david.intertel.hn 

US

US Principal Investigator
David R. Teichert-Coddington
Dept. of Fisheries & Allied Aquacultures
Swingle Hall
Auburn University
Auburn, AL 36849-5419
Telephone: (334) 844-9209
Fax: (334) 844-9208
Email: dcodding@ag.auburn.edu

Institutional Affiliations

In-Country

Direccion General de Pesca y Acuicultura
Secretaria de Recursos Naturales
Gobierno de Honduras
Tegucigulpa
Honduras

US

Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures
Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama 36849
USA